Heroes and Villains
by tititenis
Summary: NOW COMPLETE! Henry Mills uses the quill to send everyone back to the time when the Evil Queen tried to cast her curse. But, this time Fate stops the Evil Queen and gives her a chance to gain absolution for her previous acts. Meanwhile, Princess Emma White runs away from her kingdom and meets on her journey a beautiful brunette witch that keeps saving her life for some reason.
1. Prologue

**So, did I just start to write a new story while having another one going on? Yes, I did. Reason I did this: I had a dream about this story, and further thinking about it, realized that why not? To the people that are reading Swan Anatomy do not worry (as soon as I have something good to write I will). To the others reading Of True Love, I am editing it, fixing some mistakes and adding new scenes to it, so also do not worry. So, with all the craziness around having two incomplete stories, I start this one (yeah, it seems that I'm a masochist when it comes to writing). This story will take place in the Enchanted Forest, 18 years after the Evil Queen sacrifices her father's heart to cast the Dark Curse. **

**Author's Note for this prologue: SEASON 4 FINALE SPOILERS.**

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 **There was an enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know. Or think we know. One day someone trapped them in a place where all their happy endings were changed. This is what happened after...**

"Henry, fix it." Emma whispered after watching how the quill reacted to Henry's touch. There was still hope for them. They could save everyone. They could save Regina. "Write everything the way it was."

"Without ink he is not writing anything." Isaac told them smugly.

"My blood, it was supposed to work last time." the blonde woman said while grabbing a sword and pointing it towards her arm, ready to make the necessary sacrifice.

"Yes, when mixed with darkness." Henry whispered. "But you are not the Savior here. Because of him." he angrily pointed towards Isaac, who just kept smiling. "But it doesn't mean we didn't find one. And in this world, we don't need a dark Savior. We need a light one." he realized and ran towards his Mom's side, hoping that he was right.

"Don't!" Isaac yelled.

"Henry do it!" Emma kept Isaac away from them.

Softly, Henry pointed the tip of the quill towards her Mom's hand, trying his best to not cause her pain in any way. After the blood was taken, Henry opened the notebook that he took from Isaac and prayed to all the known and unknown Gods that this worked.

It took him everything to keep his eyes open, the kaleidoscope of colors and lights blinding him and his surroundings. He had felt the power of the quill calling him, asking him to fix things, but at the same time he had heard another request. A request to return the story to where it was truly meant to go. It was somehow as if the quill was foretelling him that an unbalance in the natural order of things would arise the moment they returned to Storybrooke. Henry, tenacious as ever and with the heart of the truest believer beating in his chest, decided to trust this hunch, this feeling that was rising from the bottom of his stomach, and take them further back. He knew what this would mean for him, the sacrifice he was making with this choice. He would not exist, of that he was aware off.

 _"Yet."_ a melodious voice whispered to him. _"For you are destined to be the Author, Henry Daniel Mills."_

"But my mothers." he choked. "They are finally happy. I cannot do that to them. I cannot destroy their happiness."

 _"And no one is asking you to."_

"But by rewriting everything they will not be with their True Loves."

 _"As Author you will learn that there are many paths a person can take during their life, and that those paths can lead to many people that can attempt to fill a hole from the past. Your mothers' paths were shaped by others, enforced by darker forces that only wanted to find their own happiness no matter the cost. Now you have the chance to do what's right. You have the chance to help your mothers find their Truest Love."_

"Truest Love? I thought that True Love was the most powerful magic of all."

 _"And from where does magic come from Henry? It comes from Truest Love."_ the voice said firmly. _"Truest Love is the union of two individuals, selected before the beginning of time, that represent opposites and are yet the same. They are the Light and the Dark. They are Day and Night. They are Nature and Nurture. For these two souls to meet can bring balance to our universe, a balance that was shifted by one sole man."_

"Rumplestiltskin."

 _"Correct."_ the voice said sadly _. "Unfortunately, for him, Fate planned to punish him by never letting him see his son again. Fate does not like it when someone messes with their plans."_

"But that's not fair. Everyone deserves to have a second chance. A chance at redemption." he said fervently.

 _"Do not mistake things, Author. Rumplestiltskin was given many chances in his life." the_ voice determined. _"Many preventable events could have been stopped from happening were it not for him."_

"My Ma would have spent her childhood with her parents. My Mom would have had her True Love. They would have been happy." Henry said, smiling softly. "But then I would have never existed because the Curse would have never been enacted."

 _"But is your existence solely limited to one reality?"_ the voice asked him _. "It is destined that you will exist, Henry Mills. It is also destined that you will have two mothers to raise you for an author needs to understand the Light as much as the Dark."_

"How farther back do you want me to take them?" Henry asked.

 _"To the time before the Evil Queen casts the Dark Curse."_ the voice replies _. "For you see, in order to succeed, your mother has to fail in casting it. There has to be no need for a Savior."_

"So then my Mom is still going to suffer extreme loss, she will be unhappy, she will be evil again." Henry complained. His mother had come too far, had redeemed herself already and he was not going to destroy all of that.

 _"Fate has a way to plan things, and your mother's suffering is what creates the darkness needed for her to take her path towards redemption. Darkness, in this case, does not mean evil. What will change is that this path needs to start in the Enchanted Forest, without you creating it but with the presence of another soul. A Light soul."_

"Emma..." Henry said, finally understanding what the voice had been telling him. "Emma will help my Mom in her path." he smiled warmly. "During this time in Storybrooke when they offered to help each other out, Ma with Operation Mongoose and Mom with saving Emma from darkness, it always felt that something deeper than simple friendship was going on between the two of them."

 _"You are correct. Truest Love souls will always find each other no matter the realm or reality."_

"So if we were to go back now to Storybrooke they would still get together."

 _"Yes."_ the voice said cautiously, understanding Henry's line of thought _. "But this new danger that will emerge after your return cannot occur. The moment you return everyone to Storybrooke Rumplestiltskin's heart will collapse, releasing the darkness that is tied to the Dark One's dagger. As it happens with darkness, it tries to find the closest person to having a similar power."_

"My Mom." Henry whispered. "She has dark and light magic."

 _"Correct."_ the voice replied _. "But, and because of your mothers' shared Truest Love and Emma's role as the Savior..."_

"She sacrifices herself and becomes the new Dark One." Henry completed the voice's statement. "And what happens after that?"

 _"I'm afraid that is it."_ the voice says solemnly _. "The moment Emma's status as Savior mixes with the powers of the Dark One a magical paradox occurs, destroying all that was created many eons ago and the story starts again."_

"But that is not possible, it cannot be." he murmured. "And also, why does Fate care so much? Isn't it the same for them who is involved in the story as long as there is a story."

 _"Let's just say that Fate is deeply invested in this story. For them to begin away, to reach the same place that they currently have, does not work too well."_

"So then Fate also wins something by making me change things." Henry snorted.

 _"Of course."_ the voice replied _. "Do not get confused. Fate hardly intervenes in matters that involve humans. In fact, this the reason why this story developed this way. But, in the face of complete destruction, It has decided to correct previous mistakes and rewrite things."_

"And my mothers will find happiness?" Henry asked again. "With each other?"

 _"Yes." the voice answered him. "The road will not be easy, as it usually is when it comes to love, but you will get your heart's deepest desire Henry Daniel Mills. You will get the family you always wanted."_ was the last thing he heard before he opened his eyes and saw the notebook in his hands, quill ready to write. He took one last breath, ready to do what was needed to do, and started to write...

"Thanks to the Hero Regina's sacrifice, Isaac's villainous work was undone, returning all to the paths Fate had planned beforehand." he magically wrote, watching how the letters shined brightly against the paper.

Turning around to get one last glance at his mothers, Henry noticed that Emma had gotten closer to Regina, slowly having grabbed one of her hands. He could see it in their eyes, what the voice had told him, their Truest Love not understood but still very clear. Closing his eyes, he felt warmth spread around him, encompassing all the people in the Enchanted Forest and sending them to their true path.

"We will see each other again." Henry whispered, giving them one last bright smile and then everything became complete darkness.


	2. Betrayals

So I finally got the time to update the first chapter of this story. As I mentioned earlier, it will have some canon elements but it is mostly AU. Hope you like this chapter and do leave some comments and reviews! I have a lot of ideas for this story and the way it's going to go.

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 _I am so close,_ Regina thought while throwing the last ingredient on the fire. Now that she had prepared the campfire with the hairs of the most vicious creatures the Enchanted Forest had, the only thing missing for her to finally win was to throw the heart of the thing she loved most. She suddenly remembered her father's face at the moment she took his heart out, somehow accepting his fate and resigning himself to her daughter's wrath. Regina should have felt complete sorrow, she should have been unable to kill his father, but she only had to recall his cowardice when it came to facing her mother and she pushed her hand inside his chest. In fact, Regina had seen it as a final sacrifice, a way of her to forgive him for all the times he had failed to protect her from her mother and her darkness. With this heart came her chance of a new beginning, of a new place where she would finally get what fate had taken away from her the moment Snow White entered her life. Desperate to finally finish the Curse, she failed to notice the soft steps that were moving closer to her.

"Now! Seize her!" Prince Charming screamed to his men who had been hiding behind the trees of the Dark Forest and were now throwing themselves at the Evil Queen.

Regina looked up from her position, surprised and scared at having been found so soon. What were they doing here to begin with? No one knew about this place. Well, no one that would align themselves with the White Kingdom, or so she thought. Clearly someone had betrayed her, and now she had to face these men and kill them. _Well, not that I care anyway,_ she mused and called forward her magic, creating fireballs in her hands. Yet the moment she started to throw them at the knights of Prince Charming she saw that the fireballs merely faded into nothingness. She took a better look at the shields and noticed that they had an enchantment that prevented her from damaging their armor. Panicking, Regina doubled her efforts in an attempt to break the spell: She had to succeed no matter the price. Too much had already been given to cast this Curse, and her plans for her victory had already been meticulously thought and planned: She was going to right her carriage towards the White Kingdom, her Dark Curse following closely behind her, attack the few loyal subjects that were most probably protecting Snow White and then kill her child, the Savior. She knew that her revenge plan was solid. In fact, over the course of the these last months she had tricked and deceived many for it to succeed. And yet here she was, quickly getting tired of exerting this much magic. She knew that if she kept this pace she would soon enough run out of power to defend herself. She couldn't stop herself from crying, tears streaming from her eyes, for it was obvious that she was going to fail again, her father's life wasted for nothing.

Prince Charming was moving around his men, telling them to keep their shields raised. It was chaos all around him, magic balls of fire coming out of the Evil Queen's hands, preventing them to get closer. He could see that she was growing tired, the enchantment placed by the fairies on his guards' shields stopping her from destroying their defensive line. He knew that the battle was almost over, and after being separated from his wife at such a crucial moment, he was ready to end things once and for all. He moved forward, hoping that his soldiers were doing enough to divert the woman from seeing him approach. He had been told that in order for the Curse to be cast, the Evil Queen had to spread the contents of a black box inside the fire. After a few seconds he saw said box, safely kept behind the woman's body. Deciding to just go for it after the Evil Queen tried to throw a fireball and in return nothing happened, he jumped straight at her.

Regina failed to notice Prince Charming until it was too late, the two of them on the floor trying to keep each other from getting to their weapons. She had felt his dagger near his hip, and with a slow kick, had thrown it away. Although she had been trained during her whole life to be a Queen, she was also capable of wielding a sword and hand to hand combat. Trying to separate herself from him so she could reach for her own concealed dagger, Regina felt strong arms grabbing her from behind: There were too many of them, and without magic to aid her, she was a mere woman fighting 50 armed men. Knowing that the battle was lost, Regina stopped fighting her captors and felt how they lowered her on the ground. Raising her eyes, she saw Prince Charming grabbing her black box and opening it, clearly disgusted at the sight of the heart inside of it.

The moment he opened the chest he knew what he had to do with the heart inside of it. In order to stop the Evil Queen, for once and for all, he had to crush the heart of the person she loved most and prevent her from throwing it inside the flames. The scroll used to cast the Curse had already been used, and without another love in her life, he knew that the Evil Queen's reign was over. Not considering that he was killing another human being but in fact saving the life of his family and kingdom, he took the heart in his hands and started to squeeze. The moment he did he heard a scream come from the woman on the ground.

"No!" Regina screamed, knowing what Prince Charming was attempting to do.

"This heart belongs to the last person you love most." Charming said solemnly. "And without the heart of the thing you love most you will not be able to cast the Curse."

"Please don't." Regina begged. "It's my father's heart."

"Should have thought about that before you took it out of his chest." he replied without a pause. "I will protect my family from you." he finished and crushed the heart completely.

Regina saw his father's heart become dust and felt her soul shatter in millions of pieces. All those years of learning magic, of paying the price of such darkness, had been for nothing because Snow White was getting her happy ending and she was not. She felt the tears fall from her eyes, slowly realizing that it was all over because she had lost and there was nothing left for her to fight for. Looking at Prince Charming's face she saw relief go through his features, content with having ended the imminent threat that she was towards his family. Resigning herself to what they would do to her, probably sentence her to death, she waited for his verdict, one that never came because the Blue Fairy appeared to him.

"Your Majesty." The fairy said to the man who immediately asked her for an update of his wife's status. "You need to make way towards the palace. Your child is near."

Charming smiled brightly, for a few seconds forgetting where he was and what he had just done. "Bring me my horse." he yelled to one of the men and then looked at the Evil Queen. "Your crimes against my wife and I would be the equivalent of treason and hence death." he told the woman who merely acknowledged him. "Which will probably be sentenced to you the moment we reach the White Kingdom."

"Your Majesty." one of his men came with his horse. "Your horse is ready."

"Since we will have to take you in a magically bound carriage, you will be escorted by my men. The Blue Fairy will be in charge of your transportation and of bounding your magic." he addressed Blue who nodded in agreement.

Without another word Prince Charming left, desperate to tell his wife of their success and ready to meet his child. Had he been more careful, he would have realized that there was something amiss with the fairy who started to approach the defeated woman. After pointing her wand towards Regina, the Evil Queen felt the shackles on her wrists loosen up. Surprised, she looked up towards the fairy, whom had already released a spell that left all the men in a complete state of slumber. Rising from the ground, Regina moved forward to where the fairy stood, having changed her shape to human size.

"I do not understand." she said firmly. "Why are you going against Prince baby eyes' orders?"

"It is not because of you, Evil Queen." the Blue Fairy simply said. "As you are aware, we fairies work for Fate. It is true that we help humans and that we may aid different people according to our personal preferences. But, when a direct order comes from Fate we must follow it."

"So it took Fate more than a decade to finally do something to help me?" Regina asked sarcastically. "I have nothing left. I have no desire to live in a place that has nothing to offer me but sorrow."

"Well, your Highness, too bad because it seems that Fate has a different plan for you." the Blue Fairy told the woman while moving her wand and transporting the two of them away from the Dark Forest and slumbering men. These men, who would awake hours later, would then tell their King and Queen that after attempting to escape, the Evil Queen had been slain on sight.

SQ-SQ-SQ-SQ-SQ

Meanwhile, inside a dirty and cold prison cell, a man with golden skin and crazy eyes was patiently waiting for the dark cloud of his curse to finally hit the White castle. He had made the necessary preparations for his future success and now he only needed Regina to fulfill her part, her destiny that he had dedicated decades to mold in his favor. Nevertheless, as the hours went by he felt that something was amiss, his sight not allowing him to see the future for some strange reason. He started to grow concerned by this, and when one of the guards came running to one of the stations screaming about the Evil Queen's demise he felt his whole world shatter. His plan, his perfect plan that took him centuries to prepare, had failed. Not only that, but the life of his apprentice had been lost in the process, which meant that he now had no one to cast it for him. Calling forth his abilities as a seer, he tried to take a glimpse at the future, of when he would be able to see his son again. During the previous hours he had been able to estimate that he would find Bae in a matter of two more years in a far away and strange land. But now, now he was unable to see it, complete darkness blocking any sight of a clue of what his future would be like. Madly moving around the cell and trying to make his way out of it, it took him a while to realize that he given up his magic in hope of traveling to another realm. Still, when he remembered about the squid ink scroll that he had hidden inside the rocks for the Savior in some far away future, he decided that he needed it now more than her. Slowly blowing the letters of the paper over the bars, he saw them disappear from sight. Smiling he made his way to the guards and moved his hand, a sleeping spell easy enough to give him enough time to escape. After one last look at his cell, he angrily shook his fingers and disappeared, already thinking about a way to travel to another realm. No matter how, he would find the way to see his son again.

 **The White Kingdom, 18 years later.**

 _Freedom, finally freedom_ , was what Emma thought while riding her steed. It had been during one of her history lessons when Emma started to feel that strange pull inside her heart. Not uncommon to having it, the Princess usually ignored the uncomfortable sensation, but today she simply could not. It almost felt as if someone was trying to get her attention, trying to get her away from the four walls that she had stopped calling home. With the burden of being looked up to by a whole kingdom, the moment Princess Emma was born everyone rejoiced. Not only were they celebrating the birth of the princess, but they were also celebrating the end of the Evil Queen. Because of this, and for other reasons that Emma did not understand, she had always felt curious about the story of her mother's stepmother. Everyone knew the tale of Snow White's time as a bandit but no one knew the story of the Evil Queen. No one knew how she learned magic, how she went from being a sweet young woman to a villainous queen and no one seemed to care. That had always left Emma unsettled, how quick the 'good people' were at judging the misdeeds of others by claiming it to be justice. Another fact that had made Emma realize that the Evil Queen's evilness was not all true was when she started to see her own parents do the same acts. Becoming King and Queen of the largest kingdom had certainly transformed the Snow White and Prince Charming that all peasants looked up to during the Dark Kingdom's era. Not only that, but now the same citizens that were devoting themselves to her mother's claim were now terrified of the woman. Unlike her stepmother, who had been seen as a terrifying leader that no one wanted to antagonize, Snow White had been on the receiving end of multiple invasion attempts since she reclaimed the crown. These wars took their toll on the White Kingdom, and soon enough they had been declared in complete bankruptcy. With no money they were not able to feed the soldiers and give them equipment, and without soldiers it was just a matter of time until someone decided to invade them. Emma had been hunting near the edges of the forest, an activity that her father and she shared from a very tender age. She enjoyed the tranquility of the trees, the serenity of the rivers and the soft murmurs of the leaves. Bending down in a hunting position, Emma prepared her bow, her sight on a small rabbit incentive enough to let go of her arrow. Nevertheless, she heard a twig crack behind her, and in a swift movement she turned around and pointed it towards the unknown intruder.

"Emma." she saw her godmother Red come from behind the bushes and Emma lowered her bow.

"Red!" Emma scolded her. "Do not that again! Do you have any idea how close I was to just releasing my arrow?"

Red smirked. "Apologies, your Highness, but your parents sent me to fetch you."

"Do you know why they require my presence?" Emma interrogated her mother's best friend. She had seen the way her parents were acting around her, having secret conversations behind closed doors where she could hear her name spill from their mouths.

"I have no idea." the wolf-woman said honestly. She had also noticed her best friend's behavior, and knowing that they were on the brink of another invasion, she suspected that Emma was the solution.

"But you suspect something." the princess told her knowingly. "Do not even try to deny it because I can know when someone is lying."

"I do not want to make a claim and then find that it was incorrect." Red stalled.

"And yet I am asking you to do so." Emma retorted. "As your princess I'm asking you." the blonde hated to use her status on her godmother, but she truly wanted to know.

"As you wish your Highness." the wolf-woman had to obey. "I believe your parents will discuss with you the attempts at solving their war problems."

"And why would they want to discuss that with me?" Emma scrunched her nose. "I have no helpful input."

"I believe that they want you to help in another way." Red whispered but Emma still caught what the woman said.

"They want to marry me off." she whispered.

"Based on the fact that there are not many other options, I believe that is why they are summoning you to the castle."

"And let me guess, there are special guests already waiting for me?"

"You would be correct. A prince Killian from the Underwater Kingdom."

"So he is a merman?" Emma asked intrigued. "Why would my parents want an alliance with them?"

"They have resources that can match King Midas and King George's armies, apart from an immense amount of wealth that would repair damages done to the land." Red said bitterly. "I am sorry Emma."

"It is not your fault." Emma whispered. "It is not you the one that is selling their daughter in order to get some gold and men."

The two women fell into an uncomfortable silence, neither wanting to talk more about the decision that the King and Queen had reached. Emma's outside demeanor seemed to be peaceful, but inside she was screaming, breaking and crying. It was not fair to have heard so many tales of the wonders of True Love and finding your True Love to then not being able to experience it herself. It made her parents' story and ideals be so hypocrite and false that Emma wanted to simply let loose her pent-up anger and explode. When they finally reached the castle the princess noticed that there were two carriages outside the gates, two carriages with the shape of a shell. Seriously, was it necessary for them to make such a parade?

Slowly moving inside the castle Emma refused to make any attempt to please her parents or the strangers that arrived to the castle. On her way to the castle she had made her mind, deciding that if her parents refused to let her decide who to love then that would be the last day she remained a princess of the White Kingdom. Too much of her life she had already given away to the whims of her parents and subjects. She was not going to give them her body and free will too.

"Emma." she heard her mother's voice come from behind her.

Turning around she saw her mother's disapproving look go from her clothes to the other side of the room where she assumed they were waiting for her.

"What are you doing dressed like this? Go to change immediately." Snow White ordered her.

"Why should I?" I was not told that we would have visitors." Emma replied tensely.

"You should because I am the Queen and I am telling you to." her mother replied.

Emma hated when her parents used royal titles to order her around. "They are your visitors, not mine, hence I am not required to be there, mother." she tried again.

"I can assure you that your alliance with our kingdom will be beneficial to all." he heard an accented voice say from the room. "And based on what we have heard, your daughter is a real beauty."

Emma stared at her mother coldly. "So I guess this is why you require my presence."

"We have no other choice Emma. If we do not receive the help of the Underwater Kingdom we will lose everything." her mother pleaded.

"And you are willing to send me away, your only daughter whom you claim to love unconditionally, as a down payment?" she spat angrily. "When you two are the proclaimers of True Love you deny this to your own blood?"

"You can learn to love Killian." Snow White tried to calm her daughter, not wanting to make an scene in front of her subjects.

"I refuse to keep being a pawn to your greedy desires."

"Greedy desires?! This is your home Emma, your future! And you will let someone else take it?" her mother screamed, forgetting about the people around them.

"If marriage is the solution then why don't you do it? Oh, that's right, you are too selfish to even consider it. Or why not give them a piece of our land, or a payment promise?" the princess raised her voice too. "You took the Evil Queen's kingdom and ended up becoming worse than her." she yelled and felt a hand smack her cheek.

Surprised she saw her mother angrily fuming at her, that along with the shocked looks of the people that were in the room. Smirking Emma curtsied. "Until later mother." she said and left the older woman without a care.

On her way to her room she saw her father in deep conversation with the man who she assumed was Prince Killian. He was not bad looking, that was a reality, but then again she felt nothing for him. Hell, she didn't even know him. Not only that, but she didn't want to get married. She wanted to have adventures, explore the land and face the dangers that usually came with such actions. Before she could exit the hall she noticed her dad staring at her and then excusing himself from the younger man.

"Emma." he said apologetically while walking with her. "Please be reasonable."

"I am being reasonable. Reasonable enough to realize how hypocritical you both are."

"This is our home Emma and we have to keep it safe."

"Don't you mean keep it to yourselves?" Emma spat. "If you are going to talk to me at least do not insult me with lies, father."

Charming recoiled from her daughter's harsh tone, and deciding to remain firm on their decision, he looked at her in defiance. "You, Emma White, will marry Prince Killian. That is an order of your King and Queen."

Emma stared at the man in complete shock. Who was he and what had he done with the man who took her hunting and taught her how to use a sword? Power and greed had transformed her parents to these persons that she simply did not recognize anymore. Knowing what she needed to do in under to keep her freedom, she again curtsied and spat angrily.

"When will I leave?"

"Tomorrow morning." her father responded.

"Then excuse me, but I would like to remain in my room until my departure."

"Don't you wish to meet Prince Killian?" her father asked, satisfied with her daughter's acceptance. He knew that soon enough she would see reason and realize that this was the best thing to do.

"Not really for I simply give a damn." Emma replied bluntly. "Now, I don't want to see anyone for the remainder of the day, if that is ok with you, your Majesty." she spat at him and turned around.

Running towards her room, Emma took her clothes out and set them away, quickly taking out all of the pairs that she had inside her closets. Putting everything inside a bag, Emma took her jewelry and any important object that could be sold for food and shelter and set it all at the bottom of the bag, hoping that way to stop thieves from attacking her. As promised, no one came to her room for the remainder of the morning, which gave Emma enough time to plan her escape. She decided that the best time to leave was in the afternoon since the guard shift occurred during this time and they usually loosened up and moved positions. Opening her window, Emma quickly checked from side to side, and after seeing that there were no guards on sight, she took some of the blankets and tied them together, hoping that it would hold her weight at the moment of going down the window. In a fast pace the princess grabbed the blankets and started her descent, hoping that no one saw her exiting the castle. After what seemed like hours, she finally felt her feet touch the ground and started to make her way towards the stables. If there was one thing she was refusing to leave behind was her horse, Bug. Unfortunately, the stable man was grooming the other horses. Knowing that he was going to be completely unaware of her intentions, Emma calmly entered the stable and made her way towards Bug, earning the attention of the man.

"Your Highness." he bowed. "What may I do for you?"

'I came here to take Bug for a walk." she said calmly. "Could you prepare him quickly since I promised my parents to dine with them?"

"Of course." the man said and immediately went to get all the equipment.

While the man prepared her horse, Emma was reviewing her plan. She knew that she would be in risk of being found the longer she stayed on the White Kingdom, which meant that the sooner she left her parents territory the sooner she would be safe. Her best option right now was to make her way towards the Dark Forest, hoping that the stories that had arisen around the forest would keep the royal guards and other unwanted people from going inside. Her thoughts were interrupted by the stable man.

"He is ready your Highness." the man told her and Emma thanked him. _Let's hope you don't get killed because of me,_ she murmured but he did not hear her.

With her bag firmly placed on her back and Bug ready to go, Emma turned around and gave one last look at the White Kingdom's castle. She had good memories, good experiences of having lived there. But now, now the only thing she wanted to do was run away, for she refused to let her parents tell her who to love. The road to the Dark Forest was going to be long, it being approximately three days away from here on horse. _Well, better start now than never,_ Emma smirked and set her horse to gallop away from her parent's prison and lies.


	3. White Men and Dark Rooms

**Author's note:** The wait was longer than what I had planned at first, but here is the next chapter! I hope you all like it and that the story starts to gain more interest from readers as it starts to have more than 10000 words. Reviews and suggestions are more than welcomed. Canon every backstory from the Enchanted Forest. The rest is AU.

* * *

 **In the Confines of Purgatory**

The never ending darkness had been a part of Regina Mills' life since the moment the Blue Fairy transported the two of them away from the Dark Forest and from the failure of her Curse. Everywhere she turned she saw complete nothingness, her other senses on overload because of this phenomenon. She had no idea of where she was, how long it had been since she was there or how she got there, but the one thing she did know was why. Regina felt that her life was going to change forever the moment she found herself completely alone in a never ending darkness. Without any more cards to play and in clear dependence of the person responsible for influencing the Blue Fairy to not give her away to the Charmings, the only thing that Regina could do was wait. She was not sure how long she did, but at the least expected moment she found herself in a white room filled with chairs around her. More interesting was the fact that in those chairs there were men, or what she assumed were men: Their eyes had no irises, which gave them a somber aspect. Not only that, but they were completely bald and devoid of any specific physical trait that could differentiate one from the other. Gasping softly, Regina realized that she was truly terrified of them because of their lack of individual identity. It had been a long time since she had felt fear, and it had come in the shape of her mother, demoted to another realm thanks to Rumplestiltskin many years ago.

"Do you know why you are here, Regina Mills?" the man in the center chair asked her.

"No." she murmured. "And it is your Majesty. I did not spend almost 10 years of my life married to Leopold so that my title could get revoked so easily."

"Do you know who we are?" the man asked and she saw that he was amused.

"You are Fate." she determined. "Only you would want to save me after everything I have done, although I would have appreciated the help earlier."

Another man chuckled. "That dark sense of humor has always been endearing. But you are correct, we are Fate, keepers and watchers of all the realms and all realities."

"Fate hardly intervenes in human matters." Regina told them. "All magical wielders are taught this at the beginning of their training."

"And you are correct." the man agreed with her. "But Fate does not like it when a human meddles with their plans and destroys the structure already planned."

"And me successfully casting my Curse would have done that?" she asked sarcastically.

"Your Curse was not created to benefit you. It was created in order to aid Rumplestiltskin in his search of his long lost son. A fact that we, as Fate, cannot allow to happen for it is a punishment for his numerous selfish acts." a third man answered her. "We have had enough of Rumplestiltskin's attempts at violating the balance of things for his own personal gain."

Regina simply listened, too stunned to try to argue with the men. She had known that by casting the curse created by Rumpelstiltskin the man would gain something from it. But, what she didn't know was that she had been manipulated into giving her soul and father's heart to aid a man who didn't love anyone (reason why he was unable to cast the curse to begin with) and was only working for himself.

"I assume then that this is not the first time that Rumplestiltskin has manipulated my life in order to achieve his own goals." Regina whispered.

"Sadly it is not." the first man replied after a short pause. "The path that Rumplestiltskin created for you started way before your existence as a result of your mother and her greed. Her incapacity to love you, along with the influence that magic had in your life, gave way for him to appear during your most vulnerable time. After that, by conspiring with many other individuals, he shaped and molded you in the way he needed you to be: alone and desperate."

Regina should have felt anger at having been controlled during her whole life. She should have felt betrayal towards the people that had failed to protect her, and thirst for revenge towards the damn imp. But shockingly, the only thing that she wanted now was to lay in bed and never get up. She had no motive to live, no true reason to try to gain her happiness and no one to share it with. In this world that she had angered many people tremendously and she knew that none of them would grant her forgiveness. It was too much to ask of them anyway.

"We can hear your thoughts Regina, we can feel your sorrow."

"Then you know that I have no further reason to live. I have lost everything."

"And how do you know that?" the second man asked softly. "Isn't Fate capable of seeing the future?"

"You want me to ask you about my future?" Regina whispered, clearly surprised.

"We will allow you one question, any kind of question, and we will answer it. After you hear this answer you will have to choose between staying here and paying the consequences of your sins or you will be set on an eternal slumber."

"Fate getting directly involved in human matters?" Regina asked. "And deciding to give me another chance?" she smirked. "I have learned that nothing comes for free. So what would be your price?"

The men in the room laughed, making the former Queen flinch in fear. She felt out of her dept with these people that knew everything about her and yet she knew almost nothing about them.

"By helping you we help ourselves." the first man told her. "And the price you pay will be for your own gain. We want you to succeed, Regina."

"Why do a sense that there is a 'but' coming with that statement?"

"But as you previously said, Fate does not usually intervene in human matters, nor does it give second chances. Although unheard of, we have given this opportunity to other individuals as yourself."

"Individuals as myself?"

"Individuals that were meant to be on the path of goodness but unfairly lost their way. They were brought here to face us, as you are doing right now, and got asked the same question. All of them said yes, wanting to pay for their sins and begin anew." the second man told her somberly.

"If it is such a good thing, why are you so gloom and adamant about the danger?" Regina asked but then realized that she didn't need an answer. She already knew. "None made it, am I right?"

The men looked at each and nodded.

"The price, although your own, can destroy the most resilient soul with easiness. That is the reason the person earns Fate forgiveness."

"And you still expect me to accept your proposition after learning all of this?"

"As we told you, you can answer us any question and we will answer it. What you decide afterwards is up to you." the first man smiled.

"Ok." Regina said and concentrated on her question. It didn't take her too long to realize what she truly wanted to know. "Will I ever find happiness?"

The man smiled warmly at her and nodded. "Your destiny Regina, although it seems unbelievable at this moment, _is_ to be happy. Have faith in Fate."

Regina nodded and raised her eyes so they could look at the ones of the older man. The moment she heard his answer she knew what she would choose. "It seems that I am a masochist because I seem to never learn from my mistakes." she smiled softly in resignation. "When do we begin?"

"Before we begin, we have to warn you." the third man warned her again. "What you will go through, in the edge of darkness, will not be easy. Although you were manipulated, your sins were your own and many were hurt as a result of them. The price to pay for such violence will be a high one."

Regina gulped, but still remained determined. She had always been a fighter, although not always for the right causes. "I understand. My decision remains."

"Good." the man nodded. "In that case, you will face three rings of cleansing. Each one will come with its own tribulations and tests to pass. Only the moment your soul is cleansed you will be able to move forward. Once you complete the three rings your soul and body will return to the living, allowing you to continue with your life."

"They will never love me. To them I will always be the Evil Queen." Regina murmured.

"And yet here you are accepting the prize Fate has asked you to pay." the first man's voice softened. "Trust in Fate, it will reward you in the way your heart has been craving most."

"Ok." the woman whispered.

The moment Regina mumbled those words she felt the ground under her feet disappear, making her fall into an endless pit that was only highlighted by the diminishing light that remained from the white room. The further down she went, the less she saw, until she found herself back in the black room. Not knowing what to expect, and if she should feel immediate pain, Regina was left to her own devises. The loneliness and silence filled her mind and allowed her to reflect on her past actions, on how easy it had been for her shattered heart to turn to hate. It still hurt her to remember the young girl she had been, how naive and innocent her heart was and how easily it had been destroyed. She had swore to herself that she would never become her mother, that she would never use magic in such a way. Yet, she had been far worse. She had not only become her mother, but she had surpassed her darkness. Realizing this made Regina gag in disgust, and without any food in her system (somehow she had no need for food or water or any other human necessities), she simply gagged for what seemed an eternal amount of minutes. Memories of her time with Daniel came to her mind, stolen kisses under the trees and hidden smiles making her heart ache longingly. She had simply wanted to feel and be loved, to live the life her father spoke off in hidden conversations and to decide how she wanted to live it and not the way her mother wanted her to. The price of that insubordination, of course, had been the love of her life. Such a sweet and innocent man that had been a victim of her and her mother's selfishness. Although that selfishness came from different feelings, the fact that the two of them had wanted something from the man was not lost on her: She had wanted his love while her mother had wanted him out of her life.

Life, was the word that seemed to activate the rings, since soft pinches started to press on her body. More uncomfortable than actually painful, Regina started to feel a strange buzzing near her heart. Not understanding what was going on, she quickly used her hands to check her body, trying to see any signs of physical injuries. The moment she touched her arm she felt fire under her skin, slowly burning her way up towards her extremities. She had felt pain before, during her time with her mother, and she had felt how different magic could make physical injuries feel like. Still, the pain she was feeling right now was like nothing she had ever experienced: It was not a pain that injured her body, but it was one that was tearing her soul apart. It seemed that it was opening her heart and simply pulling out all of her out of it. Losing strength, Regina felt her knees give up on her and she collapsed on the floor, unable to scream and yet doing so internally. Her mind could think of nothing else but pain, in all parts of her and at the same time. What kind of magic could do this? To be able to make her lose all capability of thought and movement was terrifying. She had not felt like this since she learned magic, and to remember the weakness that came from such a position only made everything hurt more. She was vulnerable, even the softest movement made her feel a new unbearable aching that was added to the previous ones. She couldn't remember how long it lasted, to feel such tremendous amount of pain without a reason or motive, but the moment some of the pain went away she saw a door appear. _This must mean that I passed the first ring,_ Regina thought to herself and crawled to the door. She knew that she was not going to be able to stand, and instead of wasting energy on that, she decided to use it on her arms.

It was a slow and tedious walk, but the moment she went through the door she felt some of the pain disappear. It was enough to let her think of something other than the pain, which seemed too much of a coincidence. Knowing that it was all set-up so she would fail and die, Regina heard whispers that started to come from the darkness, voices that claimed for her death in thirst of revenge. Panicking, she started to move away from where she was standing, attempting to run away from the had the shadows that had started to move forward, slowly taking the shape of many individuals that she did not know. Unlike the men from the white room, these people had faces and facial features that validated their humanity. All of them were adults, terrifying adults with empty stares that chanted her name and asked for her head. Realizing that she was watching the people she killed during her time as the Evil Queen, Regina gulped and saw how her feet were stuck on the dark ground, trapping her. She tried to free herself a few times, but accepting that this was also a part of the punishment, Regina felt each pain performed to them: Most of the times she felt an invisible hand reach inside her chest and pull her heart out. Unmercifully, the invisible hand started to squeeze, which in turn made her own chest cringe and her breath to come in painful gasps. Assuming that she was done with the pain experienced by the shadow, Regina felt relieve until another invisible hand yanked inside her chest again. It was excruciating, to relive in such a way these events and many times the woman wanted to simply let go and give up. Nevertheless, the moment she found herself opening her mouth to ask for mercy, she firmly closed it and refused to acknowledge her own weakness. Regina knew that she was many things, but a coward was not one of them. And, she never begged when it came to her life: She had accepted that she would either retain it or lose it. And, since it was her decision, she decided that she would like to keep her soul on earth and inside her body. She knew that if she really wanted to live a happy life she would have to stop reacting so negatively to the things that happened to her and accept the payment that she was now feeling as justice. Realizing that this was the only way in which Regina would find it in herself to truly let go of her past, she closed her eyes and kept receiving every pain and every sensation that damaged and healed her soul.

Almost at the point of unconsciousness, Regina saw another door appear at the other side of where she was. Smiling, she moved towards it, watching the unknown shadows dissipate and become smoke. She knew that the pain felt had given peace to the shadows, and hence to its owners. Giving these people a peaceful afterlife was the least she could do, especially after being the person responsible for them losing their life. After closing the door, Regina saw that unlike the other rooms this was illuminated, which meant that she was capable of seeing her sustained injuries. Surprisingly she saw none, but still felt that she had them. What her mother did was to hide the bruises and injuries with magic, but unlike her, this magic seemed to be internal. Yes, she was feeling pain. But, at the same time her body was not physically in danger of acquiring any new injuries. It was a small relief to know that the pain was all part of her mind, yet it was scary to realize how capable Fate was of killing her. Regina's worries only seemed to increase when she saw another pair of shadows coming her way. But, unlike the ones of the other room, these ones started to become people that she knew: The young woman whose heart she took out when she was unable to bring Daniel back. She approached the woman, knowing that in order to pass this test she needed to face each shadow and make amends.

"I am sorry." Regina told her honestly. "What I did, I did it because of fear and loneliness. I had just found out that I would never be able to bring my love back to life and I was hurt. I wanted the world to hurt too and you were in the way. Please forgive me." she finished.

The woman nodded in understanding. "I would have done the same. That's why I agreed to letting Rumplestiltskin teach me magic. It was either you or me and you were more powerful." she finished and the shadow disappeared.

Exhaling in relief, Regina saw that the next person that appeared in front of her was the Huntsman whose heart she still had locked inside a box. With him she had been extremely cruel, not only making him do things against his will, but also using him sexually. She felt bile rise to her throat when she realized that she had become just like Leopold and had used her power on a weaker individual unfairly.

"You betrayed me, Huntsman." she started softly. "You protected someone that hurt me when you gave me your word that you would deliver results. Instead of not returning or simply admitting your failure, you tried to trick me. That was your wrongdoing since you promised to be loyal to me and my throne. My mistake, and what I regret the most was how I used your body for my own selfish gains. I had no right to do so, to privy you of such an elemental freedom and it specially pains me since I promised to never do to anyone what someone else had done to me. If I ever get out of here, and if it is not too late, I promise to return your heart to you." Regina finished and the shadow of the Huntsman disappeared.

Right after her knight's shadow disappeared she saw a familiar one take shape. Gasping she found herself facing her father, who was looking at her in sad contempt. How could she explain her actions to him? Or forgive him for his weakness? She took a deep breath and raised her eyes so they could see her father's. She immediately felt tears on her eyes and she realized that the man was not asking for her forgiveness because he knew that he didn't deserve it. In fact, it seemed that he had accepted his fate as a price for his cowardice years earlier.

"Oh Daddy." Regina whispered dejectedly while raising her hand and trying to touch her father's face. "Both of us were victims of our mother's selfishness." she gasped for air. "And it pains me to say this, but I cannot forgive you. I cannot forgive your weakness when all I craved was help. When you saw mother hurt me you didn't do anything to stop her. Yes, you gave me love, as a response to her hate, but it was not what I needed from you. I needed saving, I needed a knight in shiny armor and you were never that." the brunette started to cry. "But I am sorry for not thinking you were enough. I'm sorry for my own selfishness when casting the Curse and having sacrificed your life for nothing." she whimpered and gave her father one last look. "I _will always_ love you Daddy, and if I get my second chance it will still be thanks to you." she finished and the man's shadow turned to nothingness.

It had only been three shadows and Regina already felt exhausted. Perhaps it was because of her previous endeavors, but with each new talk she felt herself getting weaker and weaker. By the time Regina reached her darkest times she could barely stand up on. When she felt a presence in front of her, she raised her head and saw Leopold, whom she still had no regret in killing because of his hidden true self. Disgusted by the sight of the man, she refused to let him see her in a position of weakness. Standing up and wobbling until she balanced herself, Regina refused to acknowledge him.

"Regina." the man said and this made the woman look at him. This was the first time a shadow spoke before being spoken to. "I forgive you."

"You forgive me?" she spat angrily. "You forgive me?!" she laughed. "I should be the one granting you forgiveness after all the things you put me through."

"I was the King and you were my Queen. You had a duty to perform."

"You were an old man and I was a mere child!" she screamed at him. "I was 16 when you first bedded me and knew nothing about sex or what happened when one got married. I was merely 6 years older than your own daughter and still you came to my room every night."

"We were married." the man whispered.

"You raped me!" Regina started crying. "You bought me from my mother and after having your way with me every night demanded of me to hide my pain away to raise your petulant and selfish child. I was not a queen, I was a prisoner."

"I didn't know." the old King said dejectedly.

"Yes you did." Regina kept on crying. "I begged you to let me go, to let me leave. I even promised you to raise your daughter as if she were my own if you stopped coming to my room. Did you know that during the course of our married life I had 4 miscarriages?"

"But I thought you were barren."

"The deficient one was you, your Majesty." she spat at him. "Snow White's conception and birth was a miracle that the doctors assumed came from the fact that you were a young man when you impregnated your wife."

"Why did no one tell me?" he asked sadly.

"Because you were the King. The blame could never be yours. It had to be mine."

"So you can conceive then. You can be a mother."

"Not anymore." Regina whispered. "But I will never apologize to you. Am I sorry I left a child fatherless? Yes, I am. Am I sorry that you were the father? No. Did I directly murder you? No. Did I influence the Genie from doing so? Yes. Am I sorry I did this? I am."

"Unless I grant you my forgiveness you will not be able to move forward."

"I do not need your forgiveness. You deserved what happened to you and I will not apologize for it. The people that deserve my apology are the ones I manipulated in order to keep my hands clean."

"You left a child fatherless!" he screamed.

"And you left a mother childless!" she answered back. "And for that reason here we are."

"You Regina, cannot change. You will always have darkness inside your heart, demanding to be set free and destroy everything in its way."

"I am aware of that and I will never say that I am all good." she told him. "But I choose my own destiny, and staying here with you is not what I want. I will finally be free." she screamed and the shadow of Leopold dissolved, making Regina take one last breath and collapse on the floor.


	4. New Beginnings

**Author's note:** Yay to 2 chapters in a day! I decided to separate them in order to create two different sets of storytelling. One is from Emma's perspective and the other one is from Regina's. Hope you like this chapter and review and suggestions are welcomed. All errors are mine.

* * *

 **At Edge of the White Kingdom**

Princess Emma Swan was riding her horse as fast as possible. She had been on the run for the last week, and although she had been able to avoid gaining the attention of the people from the towns, she saw royal guards stopping and questioning them. For some reason the guards were close on her tail, and after switching destinations and making final destination decisions on the spur of the moment, she still found herself being closely followed. She did not understand why this was happening, and it annoyed her tremendously to only be able to remain one day in a town. Bug was getting tired, and she was afraid that soon the horse would lose a shoe, which meant that she would have to stay an extra day in town. Emma was upset at her parents for wasting resources on her, especially because this trip allowed her to see the reality that the peasants lived in her parents' kingdom: Most of them lived in terrible conditions, barely having enough to feed themselves. The tax collectors came daily and refused to leave empty handed. When someone was unable to pay, the person was sent to the dungeons to await for trail. It made her blood boil to see these people suffering while her family and the rest of the royals were busy stuffing themselves with unnecessary riches. It did not surprise her that her parents' kingdom was broke, considering their poor investment techniques and extravagant expenses. But, as it usually was with societies, the people that paid for the mistakes of the top were the ones at the bottom of the pyramid. She did not miss the angry group of peasants that met in taverns late at night and discussed their sorrows over a cup of beer, usually remaining quiet on one corner while drinking. Today's comments went from insulting her parents (this was an usual thing), the unnecessary presence of the guards at their town and how much the kingdom had deteriorated under the White royal line.

"You know, although she was severe with her punishments and obsessed with capturing Snow White, the Evil Queen was a good ruler." a man had said.

"She was evil!" a woman shrieked. "How can you even say something like that?"

"She was a Queen. She ruled and she kept the people of her kingdom, those who did not involve themselves with Snow White, fed and satisfied." the man replied firmly. "Tell me Maureen, when was the last time you ate a piece of meat?"

Maureen looked down, unable to quickly think of an answer.

"I remember." the same man said while earning the attention of more people. "It was during the Evil Queen's reign. Unlike the Whites', she did not spend our money on chasing runaway princesses and holding balls for foreign kingdoms. The Evil Queen got her own hands dirty."

"Princess Emma was kidnapped." a man from the other side of the bar said.

"Don't be fooled Tommy." the man kept on rambling. "That girl decided to run before her parents sold her like a piece of steak to the highest bidder. Or do you think that the Underwater Kingdom just came for the scenery?" he smirked.

"And you keep your mouth shut before someone who matters hears you old man." Tommy told the man who simply laughed. "Or do you not care about your life?"

"I do not care about this kingdom or their rulers. I was once faithful to a tough but fair ruler. As it usually happens with humans, she had her flaws, but leaving her people abandoned and starving to death was not one of them." he raised two fingers and placed them on his chest where his heart was. "Long live the Evil Queen."

The moment the man did the sign Emma saw a group of men in white uniforms stand up and make their way towards the older man. Smirking to himself, he simply continued drinking his beer while the guards forced him to turn around and face them.

"Admitting allegiance to the Evil Queen is considered treason. The punishment for treason is death. Do you accept this sentence?" one guard told him.

The older man smiled. And while bending down in a submissive stand he quickly used his shoulder to hit one of the white guard's kneecaps. Howling in pain because of the contact, the guard's hold on the man loosened up, which then gave him enough leverage to raise his leg and hit the second guard on his balls. Wincing in consideration, Emma smiled when the older man stood up and finished his beer, amused at having bested the royal guards so easily. When they finally came to their bearings, the guards angrily stood up and ran towards him, and Emma, who had been sitting a few chairs behind him, couldn't help herself and moved her foot so the guards would collide and fall to the floor. Winking at the older man who nodded in recognition, Emma quickly paid for her drink and started to head out of the tavern only to be stopped by those two guards. Scolding herself for placing herself in such a vulnerable position, Emma saw Bug a few meters away from her, calmly waiting for her return. She knew she had to distract the men for long enough so her horse would come close enough.

"Can I help you with something?" she said while avoiding their gaze.

"You aided that man. Is your allegiance also with the Evil Queen?" the guard said angrily while grabbing her hood and lowering it, making it obvious that it was her the one under it.

"Princess Emma!" the guard said and immediately grabbed her arm. "We thought you were dead."

Emma simply shrugged. "I thought I would be, but thanks to you I am finally safe. I merely stopped you from going after that man because he was my captor. It seems that your bravery spooked him." she gagged at the fake compliments. Bug was getting closer.

"Only the best for her Highness." the second guard said proudly. "Your parents will be so relieved when we tell them we found you."

"And I will make sure you are handsomely rewarded for your bravery." Emma smiled and then saw Bug pass right in front of them.

Making a quick run, she jumped on top of the horse and turned around to see the surprised looks of her two captors.

Smirking in contempt, Emma made Bug go into a gallop, wanting to set the most possible space between the royal guards and herself. She smiled, relieved at having escaped that close encounter with her captors and at the same time scolding herself for her carelessness. She had to remember that she was not a peasant, but merely a runaway royal among them. She hoped the old man was smart enough to go away from town, especially since she had basically accused him of kidnapping a royal. Distracted, Emma failed to see that Bug was whining in warning, and before she could do a thing she found herself on the floor after her horse had stopped so abruptly. The fall had hurt like a bitch, and for sure was going to leave her some bruises, but what scared her the most was the whimper that came from Bug. Quickly standing up, she went to where her horse was laying down and saw that one of the shoes had come loose. She exhaled: She had no town or stable in sight, and based on what had happened a few hours ago, she had royal guards tailing her. And, to further complicate things for her, her horse had stopped so abruptly because she almost went over a woman. Terrified of her recklessness and nervous about her imminent doom, Emma faced her almost victim and was ready to sputter quick apologies and a possible compensation for the incident. What she did instead was dumbly stare: The woman in front was exquisite. Soft olive skin highlighted by dark large hair, she was a sight for sore eyes. Not dressed expensively, but also nice enough to be placed in the middle class, Emma saw light brown eyes stare angrily at her, clearly waiting for her to say something. But how could she when faced with such perfection? Emma had not been raised on ideas that established men were destined for women and vice-versa. She had been raised to appreciate beauty, no matter the form and shape it took. At least that she could thank her parents for.

"Well, are you going to say something or simply stare at me?" the woman simply grew tired of the awkward silence.

Emma gulped and shook her head. "I am so sorry." she apologized. "I was distracted, in a hurry, and failed to see you."

"That is obvious." the woman's tone made Emma smirk.

"If it wasn't for Bug you would have been made puree."

The woman nodded and approached her horse. "I guess I should be thanking him for his service." she caressed the horse. "He seems to have lost a shoe."

"Yeah." Emma whispered. "It was getting loose before I left the other town and it seems that it finally fell because of the abrupt stop. Do you know if there is a town nearby?"

The woman shook her head. "Closest one is half a day on horse, I am afraid."

"Then I guess the sooner I start to move the better chance I have of making it before nightfall." Emma shrugged and made way. "Thank you and again I am very sorry." the blonde started to put her hands inside her pockets so she could give some coins to the woman but a big noise stopped her. She knew the sound of that trumpet very well, and based on the other woman's face she also recognized it.

SQ-SQ-SQ-SQ-SQ

When Regina opened her eyes again she saw a door standing closely to her. Whimpering because of the pain, she softly stood up and entered the room, tired and merely wanting to be done with everything no matter the result. The moment she did she saw everything change in front of her, and with a small gasp she found herself on her parents' stable. Knowing what she was going to be forced to see, Regina started to softly cry in resignation at reliving all of her pain. As expected, Daniel entered the stable and her heart started beating quickly, followed by a younger version of herself. She could hear their soft voices and promises made to each other as if they were being said to her. Gasping at the moment she felt her mother's dark magic, Regina tried to stand between her mother and the man she had loved so much. She tried to make a sign to her younger self, tried to warn her about her mother's intention but it was all useless: Daniel's fate had been to die.

"Love is weakness Regina." Regina could hear her mother's speech. "It feels real right now, at the start it always does. But it's an illusion, it fades and then you are left with nothing. But power, true power endures. And then you don't have to rely on anyone to get what you want. I've saved you my love."

"You ruined everything!" Regina screamed. "I loved him! I loved him!"

"Enough! I've endured this long enough! Now clean yourself up. Wipe away your tears because now. Now you will be Queen." her mother scolded her and took her away from her lover's body.

Closing her eyes, Regina refused to see Daniel's empty eyes. It had been painful to see what happened and unable to protect the man he loved. And now that she knew she had the power to stop her mother she was still left to simply stare and let things go on. A bright light forced her to open her eyes after it dimmed, and again she felt her body succumb to the tiredness it had been feeling since this whole thing started. Not only was she in another painful memory, but she was outside, running in an attempt to catch a very distraught young Snow White from telling her father her secret.

"Love doesn't work that way." her younger self whispered lovingly. "Love, true love, is magic. Not just any magic, the most powerful magic of all. It creates happiness." she saw herself smile warmly. It had been really long since she showed such an innocent and warm smile.

"And that man in the stables." young Snow said sadly. "You love him."

"With all my heart."

Young Snow smiled warmly at her younger self and a pang of pain went through Regina's heart. How much she had cared about that child before Daniel's death. "Then you must marry him. I will go tell father right away."

"No no no! You can't." her younger self said vehemently.

"Why not? Surely he'll understand." the innocence in such a statement made her gag.

"Perhaps, but not everyone will. My mother for one, she'll stand in the way".

"That's why you are running." the young girl finally seemed to understand.

"It's the only way our love can survive." her younger self said sadly. "Snow, do you know what a secret is?" the girl nodded. "If you really, truly want to help me..."

"I do!"

"Then what you saw, what I just told you. You must keep it a secret. Can you do that?"

"I think so." the young girl responded and older Regina scoffed at her younger self innocence. She should have known that the moment the little girl doubted herself was the moment her secret was out.

"I need you to be certain. You can never speak of this. and above all, you mustn't tell my mother. Will you do that for me?"

"Yes, I promise." young Snow promised her and hugged her younger self warmly.

Regina turned around the scene and left the two shadows dissolve in front of her. She understood why this scene was shown to her. At this moment her life changed completely, her trust on others shattered by the carelessness and ignorance of a 10 year old girl who desperately wanted a mother. Ironically, she had cared about the little girl and felt truly sad about her situation when she was making her bags later that same night. _What do you want me to do with this?,_ Regina asked the men while moving from side to side. Do you want me to forgive Snow White? Do you want me to forget what the selfishness of that little girl cost me? She knew she was never going to be capable of doing that. But she could simply resign herself to the reality that what she just saw was that, a memory of the past. There was nothing for her to do, no chance of changing fate or bringing back the dead. It had taken her almost a lifetime, but she finally accepted that her past was just that, the past.

The moment she admitted this to herself a bright light appeared, and without any struggle she felt her body moving towards it. Minutes later she found herself inside a white room, the pain that she had felt during the whole time finally numbed away. Relieved at being able to walk without wanting to throw up, Regina saw a set of clothes on top of the bed that had also magically appeared and immediately changed. Maybe because she just finished Fate's test, or because of what she discovered while doing it, she felt lighter, freer of the burden that all her victims and guilty people had inflicted on her own heart. She knew that she was ready to start over, to earn her happiness again. And, for the first time in a long time she felt that she somehow deserved it because Fate had deemed her worthy enough. Nevertheless, before she was let go she heard the voices of the white men whispering one last time…

"Go, and find your happiness, Regina Mills. You _deserve_ it."

Regina nodded and closed her eyes, taking that final step towards the door of her room and she immediately fell on the cold ground. Not knowing where she was exactly, the brunette was not quick enough to notice a horse making its way right towards her. When she finally saw it, she closed her eyes and used her magic to make it stop, that of course making the irresponsible driver fall from it. _Bruise well deserved for being so reckless,_ she smirked to herself until she saw the woman that had been on top of the horse. The woman, although dressed in men's clothes, had an endearing beauty that made her hold her breath. She also noticed how the younger woman was bluntly staring at her, her gaze focused on her face and surprisingly remaining there. _The innocence of this woman is astounding,_ Regina thought because she could see the faint blush that adorned the blonde's face when she was asking her for directions. Noticing the horse, she realized that the breed was a good one. _Indeed curious,_ she mused to herself while smiling, _to see a young woman, obviously on a hurry, with such an expensive and well bred horse._ She was on her way to ask the woman more questions, after seeing her desire to quickly leave her side, but before any of them could say something else, Regina heard the distinct trumpet that identified the knights of the White Kingdom.

"They are coming for me." both women yelled at the same time.

"Wait, they are coming for you?" they asked at the same time again.

"What did you do?" Regina asked her while stretching her hand so that the blonde could also start moving away from their sight.

"I don't believe this is the best moment for story-sharing." the younger woman spat angrily. "And where are you taking us?!"

"Away from the main road of course! How do you think royal guards move around the different parts of the kingdom?" Regina scoffed in annoyance.

"But my horse!" she whimpered. "I cannot leave him!"

"I am afraid that without his shoe he is quite useless." the brunette whispered sadly. She could understand the woman's bond with her steed.

"I refuse to leave him! He has been with me since he was a pony."

"You will be captured the moment the guards see you."

"Please..." the blonde begged her. "He is the only thing I have left."

Regina turned around and hid the two of them under the bushes. Seriously, why was she risking herself so much for a woman whom she had just met? _I am doing so because of my second chance,_ she scoffed mentally and started to count the number of guards that were standing around the girl's horse.

"Why are we waiting here? The more we wait the more guards will arrive."

"Well, unlike you Miss…" Regina asked while gazing at the taller woman. She was certainly attractive.

"Swan." the blonde responded. "Emma Swan."

"Unlike you Miss Swan, my plan is to not die at the hands of the knights of the White Kingdom."

"Ok, Miss Know it All, what do you suggest us to do?" Emma said angrily.

"Since you asked for _my_ help, I suggest you listen to me and do as I say." Regina answered back, already annoyed at the blond's stubbornness.

"I can do that." Emma huffed, also annoyed.

The two women stayed in complete silence for a couple of minutes, Regina assessing the situation while Emma held her tongue every time she felt herself close to saying something. She was going to show the older woman that she could follow orders and remain quiet. Of course, Emma being Emma realized that the attempt was futile. Realizing that she could gain advantage of this, the blonde smirked.

"Why are the knights of the White Kingdom chasing you?" Emma asked the brunette.

Regina thought for a while her answer. Was it better to lie or just go with the truth? She looked at Emma and saw in her eyes a spark of mischief and openness that convinced her to go with the truth. "In the past I killed people."

"Nothing too shocking, considering the fact that this is the Enchanted Forest and one can die from like literally anything." Emma shrugged.

"That is rather tolerant of you." Regina said intrigued. "And since you asked I believe the same courtesy extends to me?" she got an affirmative nod from Emma and continued. "Why are _you_ running away from the White guards?"

"I refused to marry someone I did not love."

"For them to care it must mean that your union is of interest to the royal family."

"And that is the only thing I will tell you." Emma closed the discussion and Regina noticed the blonde's tight hold on her bag.

 _Runaway royal,_ Regina mused to herself in annoyance. _Why did I get myself involved?_

"What about you? What is your name?"

"Regina Mills at your service, your highness." she mocked the blonde and got an angry look from her. For some strange reason Regina enjoyed antagonizing this intriguing woman.

"Do not call me that! My name is Emma and we are the same."

"I'm afraid we are not." Regina told the woman while smiling in understanding. "No matter how hard you want to believe it, you will never be the same as the rest of the peasants."

"You do not know me, how can you even assume something like that without knowing me?" Emma asked angry and at the same time sad. She wanted Regina to like her.

"You are correct. I do not know you, and because of that what I may or may not think of you should be of no consequence to you." Regina merely shrugged and continued staring at the men.

"I refuse to stay here and listen to your sarcastic remarks." Emma suddenly stood up and took her sword out. "Thank you for the wonderful company, Regina Mills. It was certainly not a pleasure." she gritted and made her way towards the guards.

"Emma no!" Regina whispered loudly and groaned in anger. _Stupid woman, going to fight 10 men all by herself._

Emma was angry. She had felt weak when she asked the older brunette for help, and after being on the receiving end of her unfair judgment, the last thing she wanted was to remain with her. Huffing and quickly standing near one of the guards, Emma turned the handle of her sword and hit the man quickly on the head. Hiding him from the rest, she used the bushes near the area and placed the stunned men inside of them.

Regina, meanwhile, had been quietly staring. She was surprised that Emma had managed to covertly get rid of most of the guard without any of them noticing it. But, as oblivious as the men could be, it was impossible for them to not notice that five of their men had vanished. The moment they did Regina saw Emma come out from one of the bushes and attack the nearest white guard with a quick blow to his head. _One down, four more to go_ , the brunette muttered to herself.

Emma was on a roll. She had forgotten how much it was to spar and use her sword for something more than decoration. It had been easy to stun the first guards. _Seriously,_ the blonde scolded, _so much money is being wasted on these men and they are incapable of capturing an 18 year old?_ Then, as if called, one of the remaining 5 guards noticed her and she immediately jumped on top of him, quickly using her sword to incapacitate him. Nevertheless, the other four became aware of her presence and had now circled her. Emma had practiced enough sword-fighting to realize that her position was not a good one. She felt a quick swish on her left and her sword clashed with another one. Moving her feet in a fast pace, she started to grow weary and tired. She was not going to be able to hold the rhythm for longer, and based on the White guard's smirks they also knew it.

The moment Regina saw Emma's sword falter was the moment she decided to intervene. Although good with a sword, the task of facing 10 men with brute strength was not a battle that Emma Swan would win. Getting out of her hiding spot, Regina raised her hand and started to mutter to herself. Magic poured out of her hands and without any of the guards noticing who cast the spell, they found themselves on the floor, asleep.

Regina nodded in satisfaction at having her magic back, and after checking that the rest of the guards were also asleep, she made her way towards Emma and grabbed her forcefully.

"Were you trying to get yourself killed?!" she screamed at the blonde who was numbed. "I told you to follow my lead and instead you end up doing the complete opposite!"

"Regina, you have magic." the blonde smiled softly at her and all of the brunette's anger dissipated.

 _What the hell?_

"If you want to survive you have to be smarter than this Emma." she pointed at the guards. "The best way to move around is by not bring attention to yourself."

"I know." the blonde huffed. "But I was not going to leave Bug behind."

Regina nodded in understanding. "Well, these guards will remain asleep for a couple of hours, which gives us enough time to part ways."

"Part ways?" Emma asked softly.

Regina was going to confirm her previous statement, but something in the blonde's eyes forced her to reconsider. She knew it was stupid to get involved with a wanted royal, but at the same time she had always been stubborn.

"Well, perhaps we are going to the same place?" Regina asked instead and the blonde's face brightened.

"My final destination is the Dark Forest." Emma told her and this again intrigued the brunette.

"You are either very brave or dumb when you think that without the aid of magic you will be capable of escaping that forest." Regina teased her and the blonde laughed.

"So can't you like transport us to the Dark Forest?" Emma asked.

"I'm afraid there is an enchantment on it that prevents magic wielders from using it." Regina huffed. Before it had been a preventive measure, but now she simply found it annoying.

"Well, can you at least heal my horse?" Emma sassed and earned herself a shoulder slap from the older woman "That way we can go riding instead of walking?"

Regina huffed and with a flick of her hand Bug was on her feet and ready to move.

"You know, if you would have done this earlier we could have avoided so much drama."

"And lose the chance of fighting some knights of the White Kingdom?" Regina teased. "Besides, I did not know you. Well, I still do not know much about you."

"I understand." Emma smiled softly. "And besides, it has been so long since I have heard of a magic wielder. I actually thought they were extinct."

"Extinct?" Regina asked surprised.

"Yes, the Sorcerers' War." Emma shrugged. "It lasted 5 years and most of the magic wielders were either killed or captured."

"Why would someone do something like that?" Regina asked angrily.

"You seriously did not know about this?" Emma asked suspiciously.

"It appears I have remained far too isolated from the world." she merely responded. "In hiding." she added and the blonde accepted it as a fair excuse.

"Well, after the defeat of the Evil Queen, Royals from all the kingdoms were afraid of the power that magic wielders possessed and how they could use this power to take their kingdoms away from them. So, with all of the kingdom's joining forces and forming one big army, the humans captured every fairy, destroyed every wand, persecuted every witch and wizard and finally destroyed all written material about the subject. Magic was prohibited in the realm and any person that was discovered had the capability of performing magic simply disappeared." Emma finished her dark tale and saw the brunette's fear.

Regina felt tears fall from her eyes. She had grown to hate magic, but at the same time had been excited about having it and using it. She admired the magical beings that could use it for goodness, and now she just got told that all of it had been destroyed by the people that had been ironically protected by this kind of magic. Obviously, a large amount of time had passed by since her covered demise. Relieved that Emma did not suspect anything, she knew the next question she had to ask.

"How long has it been since the Evil Queen was defeated?" Regina asked nervously.

Emma looked curiously at her, and again deciding that answering her would not compromise her status she answered. "18 years, almost 19."


	5. Long Live Queen Regina

**Author's note:** I'm on a roll and decided to upload this chapter as well. If there are some typos then apologies, I have no beta for this story and I plan to give it a second full-read through when I have more chapters uploaded. Reviews and suggestions are welcomed :)

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Regina Mills had always been proud of the fact that not many things could leave her speechless. In fact, apart from her recent (or based on what she just learned from Emma not so recent) encounter with Fate, nothing could leave the Evil Queen in a state of shock: Snow White again managed to escape, her huntsman betrayed her in order to help the princess, the Charmings got married and many other things had not accomplished what Emma's words had just done. Not only had she been in a state of limbo for the last 18 years, but she was probably one of the last remaining magic wielders in this realm. It was certainly ironic that people saw her as the Evil Queen and yet the 'good side' had committed genocide without a glimpse of regret. Although she had always considered herself as a lone soul, she still felt somehow connected to the rest of people inside the magic world. All of them created a balance, either by choosing to use their magic for good or evil, which led to a fair and equal presence of magic in both sides. But now that no one was making use of this magic, she could feel in the air an overage of energy. Remembering the Imp's lessons, since energy was never created or destroyed but merely transformed, this overcompensation of magic was dangerous for the environment. How dangerous it was? She did not know. And, now she also had to worry about her companion. Emma was a smart woman, and based on what they had just discussed, it was suspicious enough that she had never heard of the Sorcerers' War. In this case ignorance was not a bliss, and unless she wanted the blonde to ask more questions she had to get rid of her as soon as possible. Unfortunately, she had already given Emma her word and she never broke a promise. It was one thing to be evil and another one to be a liar. And she was never the latter.

Emma, meanwhile, had also been thinking about her mysterious companion. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also a witch. It had been many years since she saw a magic wielder, and unlike her parents and the rest of royals who had grown afraid of it, she was simply marveled by its uses and the possibilities it created. She was 12 years old when she heard about the kingdoms' joining forces to attack all magical beings. Not only did most of the war take on place on her parents' kingdom because of the concentrated presence of magic wielders, but it also left the White Kingdom mostly destroyed. They had never been sickly wealthy, but they were prosperous and had the help and support of magic. Alas, the moment her parents joined the rest of royals and destroyed these magical beings it was the moment the kingdom collapsed. What now hurt most was the unnecessary lives destroyed: Werewolves, ogres, fairies, dwarves, witches and wizards were destroyed alike. Red and Granny, along with the Seven Dwarves, were part of the few magical beings spared (because of their relationship to Snow White). But she could now see that the friendship that the two werewolf women had shared with her mother was gone the moment she turned her back on the creatures that had previously fought for her. And, for Regina to not know about all of this destruction was baffling and suspicious. She could see that the brunette had no plans of giving her to the White guards and that her goal was not to hurt her. Nevertheless, she knew that there were some things that the older woman was hiding from her. It's not like she expected her to be an open book and tell her whole life story, but there was an aura that Regina expelled. Her way of speaking was too well versed, and the way she moved her body clearly showed etiquette education. Although Regina had told her that the two of them were not alike, Emma realized that perhaps they shared more similarities that merely being runaways of the White Kingdom.

"If I asked you a question." Emma said to the brunette. "Would you answer it?"

"You already did." Regina smirked and got herself a smile from the blonde.

"You know what I mean."

"I retain the right to refuse to answer if I do not want to."

"I can deal with that." Emma smiled mischievously and the brunette groaned. "Who are you? And do not tell me 'a simple peasant woman' because we both know that this is not true."

Before the brunette got a chance to argue Emma interrupted her again.

"Your way of speaking is too clean and polite. People from the villages do not talk like that. Also, the way you walk is as if you are used to having royal dresses. I know because I was also taught to walk with my back straight and my head held high so I wouldn't fall."

Regina knew she was trapped. Refusing to answer the question would be a confirmation of the blonde's suspicions which would then bring more curiosity and questions. "I was a royal a long time ago." she murmured.

"You cannot be older than 30 years." Emma said and got herself a laugh from the older woman. "And last I heard of, no royal has been destitute of their title."

"I am far older than what I look, your Highness. Remember, I am also a witch." Regina winked at her and Emma blushed softly.

"Tell me your royal name then. Most certainly I have heard of you because I read the story of all the kingdoms and I would like to consider myself some sort of an expert." Emma smiled brightly.

"I will tell you mine the moment you tell me yours." Regina smirked and the blonde's smile dissipated.

"That's not fair Regina." the blonde said annoyed. "And the fact that you fail to recognize me also intrigues me."

"Should I recognize you?" Regina asked curiously.

"Most people do." Emma shrugged. "And it is somehow refreshing to be with someone that does not seek my company because of my name."

"It is not as if I sought your company." Regina sassed. "If I am not mistaken, it was your terrible horse-riding skills the ones that placed us in this predicament."

"I already apologized for it." Emma looked down embarrassed. "And if you are a royal you know what I mean: How a name can change the way a person looks at you."

"That I completely understand." Regina murmured and then decided to focus on her companion. "So I understand that you are running away because they want to force your hand in marriage."

"Yes?" Emma asked, confused by the older woman. Was she asking her a question or merely stating a fact?

"And the problem is?"

"That I do not want to get married. I do not love the man, nor know anything about him! How can I marry someone I don't know?!"

"You can, like the rest of us royals have to do." Regina smiled sadly. "You must be aware that most of the royal marriages of this realm are not built on True Love but merely politics."

"Politics?"

"Why of course. With a marriage comes heirs, heirs mean union of kingdoms."

"That is terrible!" Emma yelled while moving wildly on top of the horse.

Regina had to use her strength to keep the young woman from falling to the ground. Annoyed she gave her a soft slap. "Do calm yourself! The last thing we want is to spook your horse and have him run away."

"I am sorry." Emma blushed. "But I am just so angry. To believe that my parents would do something like that to me!"

"Most of them do if it comes with the promise of future wealth and prosperity. In fact, most princes and princesses, especially the latter, are taught to perform this duty."

"Well, I was not." Emma huffed. "I was taught to be an intelligent woman that refused to settle and one to believe in love and adventures."

"And how well did that work for you?" Regina could not help herself from commenting. "Here you are alone, on the run from a kingdom that has all kinds of resources, and without a clear plan of what you will do if you reach the Dark Forest. Perhaps marriage was not such a horrible thing to consider?"

"It was!" Emma exclaimed. "They wanted me to marry a man who was only concerned with my beauty. Not only that, but the fact that my parents were so quick to sell me to him was also terrifying. I know myself, and I am not like that. I don't want that life. I don't want power." the blonde closed her eyes. "What I want is to be free."

Regina flinched mentally after hearing those words. This speech sounded way too familiar, and although it now hurt less to think of her past, it was still hard to see the same idealism and faith that time had made her lose.

"I got taught that power is freedom." Regina whispered. "And for a while I refused to believe that."

"For a while?"

"Then I realized that although power gives you freedom, it also takes it away: Real freedom comes from being allowed to make your own decisions, good or bad."

"But in order to do that you would need power."

"I thought so too." Regina smiled sadly. "And yet here I am with nothing more than what I carry with me."

"I am sorry Regina." the blonde whispered and grabbed one of the older woman's hands, softly squeezing it.

Regina squeezed back, surprised and yet happy with the shared contact. "Do not be. In fact, I have never felt as freer as of right now."

Emma looked at the older woman and saw that she was not lying. Despite learning a few more things about the brunette, she still felt as if there was some nagging truth that was being kept from her. A truth that would apparently be set free the moment she learned the woman's royal name. Wondering whom she could be, Emma realized that she truly didn't care much. It was obvious now that the woman was not going to hurt her, or use her identity in order to gain favor with her parents. The reason she was sure of this was the disgust that Regina showed for royal politics and everything that they included. Perhaps it was Fate, but she was lucky that the person that found her stranded on the side of the road was one of the few individuals that did not recognize her. Although she had planned on asking Regina about her time in hiding, she had stopped herself from doing so the moment she saw fear in those brown eyes. She understood the brunette's weariness towards sharing information, especially if she was a magic wielder. But something made Emma suspect that it was not only that what scared the older woman. She seemed to know her surroundings and customs of the land, which meant that she was from this realm. At the same time though, there was this air of wonderment in her face, almost as if things were at the same place but did not look the same. Almost as if she had been away from this land for a long time and was now just seeing it.

Regina was convincing herself that it was all a mere coincidence. The fact that she was now helping a woman that was going to suffer the same fate that she had suffered was just that, a coincidence. Nevertheless, of all the places she could have landed on, it had to be on the White Kingdom, her previous land and the one she had lost to the unCharmings. Although she still felt anger towards Snow White, it was not the same unmeasured and unreasonable one she had 18 years ago. This time she just wanted to be left alone to live her life in peace. She no longer cared about wealth and royalty, and as she had told Emma, she had never felt as free as she was now feeling. _Emma,_ the brunette thought and a soft smile came to her face. The young woman was certainly endearing. Not only that, but incredibly smart as well and capable of expressing herself and her desires without a single care. A nice but yet unfitting trait for a princess.

The two women were aware of the horse's tiredness. They knew that carrying two people was exhausting for the horse and that they would have to stop and get some rest. Luckily for Regina, when she had mentioned that there was a village half a day away from where they were, the reality was that another one had been established. Exhaling in relief, the two women looked at each other and went towards the stable. Emma took out some gold coins from her pouch and immediately told the stable-man to groom, feed and prepare her horse for the morning. Regina meanwhile had been quietly watching her surroundings. This was the first time, since she got back from limbo, that she found herself in a town. Expecting it to be better than the ones that were built during her reign, it was shocking to see that the living conditions were deplorable. There were naked people on the streets, obviously on the brink of starvation and disease, begging for food. Most of the carriages available were old and broken and children were sleeping on floors, using whatever they could find as cover. Gasping at the amount of unhappiness and poverty, Regina felt sorry for all of these people and what they were forced to go through.

"I assume this is the first time you have been inside a town since you went into hiding?" Emma asked knowingly.

"Indeed." the brunette murmured. "Things were quite different before I left."

"The moment the White Kingdom decided to destroy all magical beings it was the moment it lost all of its wealth and prosperity. You see, King Charming and Queen Snow White (it was so weird to talk about her parents like that) did not take into consideration that most of the working population of their kingdom were magical beings. Not only did they control the intake of magic inside the kingdom, but they also held the most important jobs and were in charge of caring for many humans. Instead of attempting to repair the damages or rebuild the economy, the Queen decided to use that wealth for the attainment of political alliances. But, there is no point in gaining alliances when there is no war going on." Emma smirked. "So you see, the money went to royal parties and royalty instead of going to feeding the poor."

"How typical of Snow White." Regina muttered in annoyance. "Believing that someone will always be trying to destroy her happiness."

Emma laughed loudly. Regina had just described her mother so well. Wait, Regina had just described her mother, which meant that Regina knew her mother. "You know her, don't you?"

"By her you mean Snow White?" Regina stalled. She had to stop being so honest with the blonde woman. She barely knew her and yet here she was sharing all of her secrets with her. "We crossed paths a long time ago." she said instead, annoyingly avoiding her own advice. "And that is all I will say on the matter."

Emma huffed in annoyance, but at the same time she was even more intrigued. It seemed that Regina and her mother did not get along, based on the way the older woman's expressions betrayed her attempted indifference. Smiling at the challenge of earning the trust of this enigmatic woman, Emma went to one of the taverns and quickly entered it not before raising her hood. Making space for Regina to follow, the two of them headed to one of the tables and ordered drinks and food.

"If you do not mind me asking." Regina started. "Have you been staying at taverns since you ran away?"

Emma nodded.

"And how are you paying for such an expense?" Regina asked surprised.

"I have been selling all my jewelry and goods to merchants the morning before I leave a village." Emma told her proudly.

Regina laughed loudly, earning herself the attention of some of the people inside. "And have they been following you closely since you left the first town?"

"How could you possibly know that?" Emma asked surprised.

"Because they are not tailing you, your Highness, but merely following the trail left by you."

"I am a very efficient rider and hunter. I never leave a trail unless I want to." Emma said offended.

"The trail left by your jewelry." Regina smirked and Emma's face became blank. "You see, prince and princesses running away from their palaces is not uncommon. Because of this, royal courts have a list of all royal jewelry. In the case a prince or princess decides to exchange it for cash, royal guards can go to the merchants of each village and ask if they have in their possession any of the royal jewelry."

"Shit." Emma muttered and looked down in complete embarrassment. "I am such a fool way out of her league."

Regina felt sorry for the blonde. "Well, now you know better and you will stop selling your family heirlooms." she looked around the tavern. "I suggest this is the last time we stay at one of this taverns since we are runaways and many freelancers like to hunt for preys in places like this. You are indeed lucky that no one has captured you." she mused to herself.

"And you seem very knowledgeable of all of this."

Regina smiled. "As I mentioned before, I was a royalty many years ago."

"And why do I still feel that is not the complete truth?"

Regina winked at her. "Because it is not."

"And I do not like..." Emma was getting angry but then stopped speaking when she saw white guards entering the bar. "Shit. We have white guards scanning the place."

"Let me guess." Regina said annoyed. "You sold some jewelry at the previous village."

Emma nodded.

"And since there is are no other villages a couple of miles away, it is obvious that the guards assumed you would be here."

"Your inputs are not really helping." Emma muttered and took a gulp of beer. "What are we going to do?"

"You, nothing." Regina whispered. "We will wait and see what they do. Good thing about White guards is that they are all men and most of them just want to have a drink and a good fuck after riding for the whole day."

"And to believe I found you all prudish and proper." Emma smirked.

"And I thought you were quite intelligent, but alas, it seems we were both left disappointed." Regina teased and tensed when the guards passed in front of them.

Thankful that the women were ignored, they saw the men approach the bar and place their orders, also demanding the best accommodations for the troops of their Majesties King Charming and Queen Snow White. At the moment the white guards left for their rooms, a sight of discontent fell from the people that remained in the establishment.

"Why are they so upset?" Regina asked intrigued.

"Because some of them will have to give their rooms away so that the owner can accommodate the royal guards." Emma whispered back.

"And they do it?"

"You know they have to." Emma said sadly. "Those who don't are considered traitors and sent to the dungeons."

"And this happens in Snow White's kingdom?"

"I know." Emma smirked. "Even the 'fairest of them all' has a fucked up system of tyranny."

"Coming from her that is just terrifying."

Emma was going to further ask what the brunette meant with that but found herself unable to when one of the guards sat at their table.

"Evening." the man said, sporting a cocky smile and clear in his intentions of getting their attention. "May I ask what are two beautiful women doing here all by themselves?"

"My sister and I are on our way home." Regina said while smiling shyly. "Our horse lost a shoe and we were forced to stop here until morning."

 _Shit, Regina does know how to play a man,_ Emma mused to herself and saw the way the man's gaze went through Regina's features, obviously stopping at the sight of the woman's breast. Emma groaned in anger and got herself a scolding but yet understanding look from the brunette.

"I see." the guard replied while getting closer to Regina. "But it is far too dangerous for women such as yourselves to be all alone. Perhaps a friend and I could accompany you."

"We would not want to impose." Regina smiled.

"I insist." the man said firmly, still trying to maintain a smile on his face. "There would be no better protection for you than the one given by a guard from her Majesties' army."

Emma could clearly read between the lines. What this man was implying to them was: Either go with him or face the consequences of insubordination. The blonde waited, not sure of what the older woman would do.

"And we still refuse." Regina said, tired already of this tête-à-tête. "Now, if you could excuse us, we are leaving." she stood up and grabbed Emma's hand.

"You don't leave until I tell you to leave, whore." the guard said angrily. "Failure to comply with the Queen's orders are the equivalent of jail." he smirked.

"Does you Queen command you to rape women?" Regina asked loudly and the room fell to complete silence. "Or do you use your Queen's name to rape women?"

The guard simply stared at her, shocked at having someone subordinate them. Not only that, but it was done in such a way that left the man with no choice that would hurt him. Knowing that his position in the guard was now screwed, all thanks to that woman, he decided to take matters into his own hand.

"I will get what I want!" he grunted and grabbed the brunette's arm forcefully.

"And you will leave her alone!" Emma screamed and kicked him in his crotch.

The man screamed in agony and got the attention of the rest of the guards. Although he had been an asshole to the two women, they could not allow the people to think that insubordination was not punished. The captain of the group went to where the women were standing, and before he could confirm his sentence, he saw a flicker of blonde hair and green eyes.

"Princess Emma!" the man said and this was the moment the two women knew that they were screwed. "Your Highness, by request of your parents we will take you back to the White Castle."

 _Request of her parents?_ Regina thought and then realized who her companion truly was. She started to laugh loudly, earning strange looks from the guards and Emma, who was completely frozen. Fate, it seemed, decided to not only get her involved with a runaway royal, but that said royal was the daughter of her archenemies. Truly poetic.

"I refuse to go with you." Emma said firmly, still concerned about Regina's sudden breakdown. "Your services are not required."

"I am afraid, your Highness, that you are outranked by your parents." the captain said and nodded for the guards to get closer.

Regina was thinking of a safe way to escape, especially now that they had to face 30 men all by themselves. She already knew that the only way out of this mess would come if she used her magic to aid her. Emma was a fine swords-woman, but there was simply not so much she could do without having help. Perhaps she should just let the men take her and be done with it. 18 years ago she would have done it, but now she found herself incapable of doing so. She realized that she liked Emma, and that unlike her parents, she didn't have this narcissistic idea of her being only good. Despite her best interests she found herself wanting to spend more time with the blonde woman, and in order to do she had to save her. Again. _I guess this is the time for me to reveal that I am back,_ Regina smirked and used her magic to summon a sword. There was a gasp in the room, the people completely in shock at having seen a person perform magic. And, not just any magic, some men smirked to themselves, but magic with a purple smoke.

Emma looked towards Regina and saw that she had conjured for herself a sword. So it seems that despite of her keeping her identity a secret, Regia was still going to help her escape. Certainly strange but definitely welcomed. In fact, when she felt a shield appear on her free hand she winked at the brunette in appreciation.

"Identify yourself!" the captain yelled at the brunette who simply shrugged in annoyance. "Are you aware that performing magic is now forbidden in the White Kingdom?"

"I have heard." Regina said calmly and the blonde laughed.

"And yet here you are using it against her Majesties' guards."

"Because you are attempting to take my friend against her will."

"She is a royal. A peasant like yourself has no right to compare to her, worse say that you are equals." the man spat at her.

"And you have no right to speak to a royal in such a way."

Emma turned around and to her surprise saw the same man from the tavern that had escaped the royal guards. Winking in acknowledgement, he moved forward and kneeled in front of Regina, who was clearly shocked.

"I, Anthony the Second, was a Commander of her Majesties' Dark army. I served my Queen with honor and will now do so again if my Queen commands it." he said loudly while taking his fingers and pushing them to his chest in a sign of allegiance. For the surprise of Regina and Emma, he was not the only one that performed the sign. In fact, half of the room, including some women, had done it while nervously looking around.

Regina smiled warmly at the loyalty of his soldier and her people. She now knew that her attempt at having a peaceful and solitary life was not her mission. Unlike her previous self who was more focused on her own goals, this time she saw that there was a way for her to earn the forgiveness of the people she had hurt in the past. Nodding in acceptance, Regina waved her hand past his soldier and he was soon enveloped in a purple cloud. The moment it dissipated, the room gasped when they found him in uniform, the insignia of the Dark Kingdom standing proudly on his chest. After that, it was Regina the one that disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, one that was soon replaced by the beautiful and yet terrifying image of the Evil Queen.

Emma stopped breathing the moment she saw Regina appear in a black dress. Not only was it hugging all of her curves wonderfully, but her whole demeanor transformed. Instead of having a beautiful middle class peasant, Emma now saw a sexy and dominant Queen. She had heard tales of the Evil Queen, of her looks and presence, thanks to her godmother and the people that worked at the palace. But the tales were nothing in comparison to the woman herself. She knew that this woman had gone through a lot, and based on the fact that she had been honest with her beforehand, she knew that the Evil Queen was a person she could trust and would protect no matter what. Somehow, she knew that Regina was the hope and answers this kingdom needed in order to prosper. _And people said that my mother was the fairest of them all?_ They were obviously mistaken or blind because she had never seen a more beautiful woman than Regina Mills.

"It's the Evil Queen!" one of the guards said and got instantly pushed to the wall by an invisible force summoned by Regina.

After this the tavern became complete chaos. Men that were now raising their fist in a sign of allegiance were enveloped in clouds of purple smoke. To the surprise of Emma, the women that also had their armor seemed to be well trained in sword fighting. It was obvious that Regina did not discriminate when it came to members of her army. Some of the people who had raised their hands were not being changed, and after asking one of the Dark army guards, she found out that only the people that had previously been on the army were being allowed to fight. Smiling at this, she saw Regina from afar and pointed towards her shield. After she felt a warmth in her arm, she turned her it and saw the insignia of the Dark Kingdom on it, which was immediately put the test when a guard tried to surprise her from behind.

Regina, meanwhile, was merely flicking her hand and stopping two men from approaching her with their swords raised. She looked down and saw some roots sprouting from it. Smirking, she raised her hands and immediately 5 guards found themselves immobilized by magical roots. Surprised by the reception and by the amount of Dark soldiers that were now getting rid of the White guards, Regina turned around and searched for Emma, who was not so far away involved in her own sparring duel. Not wanting to take the fun away from her, but feeling that they had to leave, Regina raised one of the roots that were near the guard's feet and he lost his balance.

"Regina!" she heard a whine and soon enough an annoyed Emma was behind her. "I had him!"

"I know dear." Regina smirked. "But I think it is better if we leave."

"But what about your people?" she asked when she saw the Dark Army men assembling themselves into formation. "Shit, they are good."

"Only the best for the Dark Kingdom." Regina smiled and then addressed her people. "Thank you. For aiding your Queen when she needed it and for remaining faithful after all these years. I want to be better now, I want to redeem myself and leave my mistakes behind. If you want to aid me in doing so, I want you to meet me, in a week's time, at the Dark Palace."

The soldiers looked at each other and nodded. Anthony, the Commander, asked for permission to speak. Regina nodded.

"My Queen, what would you have us do with the captured guards?"

"Return them to the White Kingdom with this." she waved her hand and a letter with her shield and handwriting appeared. She then looked at Emma. "The moment this letter reaches your parents they will know you are with me. Are you fine with this?" she whispered the last part softly, unbeknownst to herself that this exchange was earning the surprised look from her soldiers.

"Are you kidding me?!" Emma smiled happily. "I have dreamed of meeting you since I heard tales about you! Besides..." she murmured. "My parents lost my allegiance the moment they decided to sell me to the Underwater Kingdom. But..." she looked at Regina's soft brown eyes. "If you refuse to return me to them they will consider it reason enough to go to war with you. And I don't want to destroy your chance at finding happiness."

"Emma..." the brunette whispered. "I think that it was decided that I would protect you the moment you almost killed me with your horse." the two women laughed and were still being analyzed by the shocked soldiers.

"Are we sure this is the same Evil Queen of 18 years ago?" one of the guards murmured.

"No, she is not." Anthony said while smiling happily. "This is Queen Regina."

"So what does that mean?" Emma whispered longingly at the woman who had somehow become her savior.

"It means that if you want, and based on your wonderful sword-fighting skills and military knowledge, I want to offer you a position in my army and court."

"But I am a woman."

"And so am I and many others that are in my army." Regina replied. "I want you to be the Dark Kingdom's Knight."

"Me?" Emma shrieked in surprise. "But I am not good enough."

"Well, you certainly know how to use a sword and already saved my life earlier today, your Highness." Anthony remarked and got some laughs from the rest of the army.

"Then it's settled." Regina smiled warmly. "Anyone that is faithful to the Dark Kingdom or is ready to pledge allegiance to it is welcomed to come. I suggest you change to your normal wardrobe so that your identity remains a secret. I do not want silly heroic acts." she looked at each one of them knowingly. "That includes you too Commander." she winked at the man who blushed.

"Understood your Majesty."

After that Regina waved her hand one more time and all the members of the Dark Army were returned to their old-looking selves. Not only that, but the tavern was rebuilt and all the signs that told that a battle had occurred inside were completely gone. The moment Emma and Regina turned around and headed out of the tavern they heard Anthony and the rest of people yell.

"Long Live Queen Regina!"

Emma chuckled and grabbed the brunette's hand, who without noticing it had started to cry. Squeezing it in a sign of support and understanding, she raised the hand and kissed it sweetly, which in turn got her a surprised look from the older woman.

"Long Live Queen Regina." the blonde whispered and Regina gave her a bright smile.


	6. Ain't Fate A Bitch

**Author's note:** Again yay to new chapter! I am quite happy with how it turned out and points if you find the OUAT quotes that I inserted in some of the dialogue. Hope you like this chapter and reviews and suggestions are always welcomed.

* * *

 **At the White Palace**

Queen Snow White was moving around her room in quiet contempt. Her daughter's escapade was not only hurting their opportunities to tie themselves to the Underwater Kingdom, but they were also spending too much money on finding her. Her guards expenses were enormous and the amount of troops that she had sent across her kingdom was one she would send to fight a small revolt or attempted invasion. Without the aid of magic, they had to rely on human abilities and unfortunately her daughter's disappearance was not noticed until the day she was meant to leave with Prince Killian. Luckily for her, and in remembrance of her time as a runaway bandit, Snow White knew that her daughter would sell royal goods in exchange for coin. She had sent her army captain with a list of the Princess' jewelries and the mission of bringing her back no matter the cost. She was aware that her daughter was well trained in hunting, sword fighting and tracking because during their first years as rulers she and her husband decided to prepare Emma for any kind of scenario. At the time it had seen as a good idea, but now that it was almost one week and still no sight of her child, she was starting to regret that they raised such an independent and free-spirited woman.

Her dark line of thought was interrupted by the arrival of her husband. Expecting some good news from him, when he just plumped down on his chair she realized that this was not the case.

"It has been more than a week and still no one has seen her." Snow said angrily. "Guards just keep telling us that they are trailing her with the list of royal jewelries but somehow still manages to evade capture." she huffed in annoyance. "Tell me, how are we supposed to rely on our army if they are incapable of capturing an 18 year old woman?!"

"Emma is not just any 18 year old woman." Charming tried to calm her wife. "She is smart, independent and strong. We prepared her to survive in a world like that."

"And look at the price we are paying for that." she murmured darkly. "We have given her everything and the one thing we ask of her she cannot deliver."

"We were asking her to enter a loveless marriage when she has been told during her whole life about the wonders of True Love." he whispered. "Can you really blame her for wanting that kind of love?"

"I blame us." she told her husband sternly. "We raised a daughter but not a princess."

"But you were just like that Snow. In fact, that's what made me fall in love with you when we first met." Charming told her.

"It was necessary to be that way." Snow White refuted while caressing her husband's face. "I had to be strong and independent because my stepmother was trying to kill me." she finished angrily.

"And that made you the Queen you are now." Charming continued to argue. "You have maintained your Kingdom during two wars and have repelled rebellions and revolts before they even started. You are a strong Queen."

"We don't need Emma to be a strong Queen, Charming." Snow said angrily. "We need Emma to be an obedient one. If this deal with the Underwater Kingdom does not go through then we will surely lose half of the Kingdom to Frederick and Abigail."

"I care more about getting our daughter back than losing a piece of land." Charming said firmly.

Snow looked up at her husband's face and saw that quiet defiance in him. Unlike her, who had grown in a palace and knew how politics worked, he had been a shepherd. Knowing that she needed to show a united front to their supporters and her people, she realized that antagonizing him would only bring her further problems. She knew of her husband's love for their daughter, in fact, he had always connected with Emma easily since the two of them shared their love for swords, horses and adventure. Unlike her, who had embraced that life out of necessity, Charming was definitely the closest one to her daughter, being adamant at first when she proposed the arranged marriage idea to him. He found it despicable and unfitting for them to enforce their own daughter to marry out of duty when they were the embodiment of True Love. Not only that, but her husband had always been against any kind of forced marriage since he had been ordered by King George to marry Abigail many years ago. As last time, Snow realized that a little persuasion would be needed in order to assuage her husband's worries. Luckily for her, Charming was just like any other man and had primal needs.

Snow slowly approached her husband and grabbed his hand, pulling him up and making way towards the bed. She had to think about the best way to make him believe that he was not being manipulated. Carefully setting herself behind him, she moved him so he would sit on the mattress. This position would allow her to control what he could see and feel, which meant that she had to use her words and touch at the same time to distract him. She got closer to him and carefully took his shirt off, smirking when she noticed how his skin reacted to her touch. Pushing her body close to his, she moved her mouth over his neck until it reached his ear.

"Perhaps before this would have been good enough." she murmured and felt his muscles tense. "But what we need right now is to show strength." she put emphasis on that last word by biting his ear. "We need to show that we care about our kingdom." she moved her hands over his naked torso and felt his breath hitch. "Don't you agree?"

"I do." he whispered, trying to form coherent thoughts. "But she is also our daughter Snow."

"And don't you think that I am also heartbroken by her departure?" she separated from him and took off her nightgown, leaving her in her underwear. "I love my daughter just as much as you do."

"Then let's call this marriage off. I know she will come back the moment we do this." Charming said firmly, able to somehow think of something that did not involve his aching groin.

Snow smiled, and in a slow walk she stepped in front of her husband, whose eyes became dark with lust. She could see the effect she was having on him because of his hard panting and growing bulge.

"You know we cannot do that." Snow whispered while getting closer to him and opening her legs. "Our people." she said while sitting on top of him. "Need us." she exclaimed while lowering her hand to the top of his pants and squeezing. "Don't you think so?"

Charming groaned, confused and incredibly turned on. It had been a while since Snow and him had been intimate, and although he had tried to calm his needs by himself, to feel his wife on top of him, caressing his growing organ, was driving him insane.

"You know..." Snow groaned while taking her hand out and cleaning it with Charming's pant. "That I'm right." Snow lowered herself on top of his hidden erection and felt him attempt to keep the contact. "That we cannot lose our land after all we went through to get it." she continued to lower her butt. "Please say I'm right."

"You are right." Charming groaned and moved his hip upwards.

"So we will do as I say?" she took her bra off and Charming's eyes opened wider, the shaft hidden under his pant getting harder.

"Yes." he moaned when Snow opened his pants and took them off, leaving his penis on view.

"You are a good man, my Prince Charming." Snow finally took her panties off and threw them away, quickly placing herself on top of her husband's legs. "And now I'm going to show you how much I love you." she kissed him and grabbed his penis. "Now I am going to let you fuck me until I beg you to stop."

Charming groaned loudly when he finally felt his wife lower herself on him, the pressure he had been experiencing since she took his shirt off demanding to take her on her back. Immediately he did that, grabbing her waist with his arms and quickly turning her so he was now the one on top of her. Now that he could see her clearly, Charming saw how ready his wife was for him, and without any more preambles he pushed inside of her.

The moment Snow felt her husband's penis inside of her she screamed in contentment. She had missed this type of contact from him, and based on his violent and fast movements, he was desperate for release. Moving her hips so the contact would be stronger, she made her butt land on his hips and this could let her feel the sweat and liquid that was falling from her legs. Separating from his erection for a while, she looked at it and grabbed it with her hand, quickly massaging it so it would grow harder. Charming screamed in delight, and with a quick turn again turned her wife around, inserting himself inside of her.

Pumping and squirming, Charming fastened his pace when he felt her wife's walls enclosing his shaft, a clear sign that she was getting closer to her climax. He could feel her wife's hands roaming around his body, pinching, holding for dear life while her hips moved in tandem with his. He entered a frenzy when he felt Snow's strong hands enclosing his back, forcing him to turn around so that now he would be the one under his wife.

Snow looked down on her husband and saw his desperation and need for dominance. Although a sweet man, Charming always craved control when it came to sex, and even if he liked the challenge of dominating her, most of the time Snow subdued herself to his needs. This time, nevertheless, she wanted something more, and after tainting him to get hard again, she was satisfied when she jumped on him and started to slam her cunt to his penis and mercilessly kept on humping down until she felt Charming release his sperm inside of her. With a loud scream Snow fell on top of her husband, who immediately held her close and started to caress her back until he finally fell asleep. The moment he did so, Snow separated from him and covered herself with her night robe. Now that her Charming problem was taken care of, she needed to think of a way to keep Prince Killian interested in Emma and hence their kingdom. She knew that the young man was not patient and that the only reason he was still a guest of the White Kingdom was because of his adventures in the taverns. Not really caring about the virtue of the man, Snow knew that the moment Prince Killian got bored it would be the moment they would lose their deal with the Underwater Kingdom.

 **Somewhere in the Enchanted Forest,**

When Emma Swan woke up she felt rejuvenated: She had experienced the weirdest but yet best dream ever that included fighting in a tavern, being rescued by the former Evil Queen who turned out to be a woman named Regina Mills that she almost killed with her horse and becoming a member of her Dark Army. _Apart from the fact that the woman was gorgeous,_ Emma smirked to herself and opened her eyes for the first time. Instead of seeing a roof on top of her, what was there instead was a big tree. Scared by her surroundings, the blonde sat up and saw that she was in the middle of the forest. In front of her there was a fire that had probably died during the night and the remains of a small animal. She felt a blanket on top of her and quickly turned around in search of Bug. When she saw him quietly sleeping she calmed down, allowing herself for the first time to try to remember how she got there. Nevertheless, when she heard soft noises coming from one of the bushes, Emma blindly looked for her bow, and relieved that she had it right next to her, immediately took an arrow and shot it to the human that had come out of them.

Regina felt the air move around her, and in a quick memorized motion she grabbed with her hand the arrow that Emma had efficiently pointed towards her head. Huffing in annoyance she threw it to the floor and saw the shocked look the woman was giving her.

"Really, Miss Swan?" she asked sarcastically. "Are you going to try to kill me until you succeed?"

Emma took deep breaths and saw the woman of her dreams talking to her as if they knew each other. In fact, she had almost killed her with one of her arrows. Slowly rising up she approached the brunette, who was looking at her with curiosity.

"Are you real?" the blonde murmured in admiration while getting closer.

Regina saw that the young woman was not lying when it came to her question, and suddenly worried about her new friend she decided to stop teasing her.

"Miss Swan, are you alright?"

"Regina..." Emma whispered vehemently and got even closer to the brunette, who was now wearing pants and a red riding shirt. "Am I still dreaming?"

"Emma?" the brunette was now really concerned. It was obvious that Emma had forgotten about the events of the previous night or somehow thought that it had all been a dream. "Please answer my question."

"You saved me from my parents' guards." the blonde smiled warmly. "You used magic." she moved her hand so she could touch the woman's skin, expecting it to dissipate under her fingers the moment she made contact.

"Indeed." she said carefully while watching the blonde and for some strange reason not stopping her. "A nice surprise, by the way, to not mention the fact that your parents are Snow White and Prince Charming." she felt soft fingers on her skin and closed her eyes. It had been such a long time since someone treated her this reverently, lovingly and respectfully.

Emma opened her eyes when her fingers made contact with soft skin. She then saw Regina's smile and realized that the woman was real, that she had saved her from the royal guards and that she had magic and a number of faithful followers. And she had those followers because Regina Mills was the former Evil Queen.

"Shit!" Emma said while looking at Regina and continuing her caress without really noticing. "It was all real!"

Regina laughed loudly. "Indeed it was." she then gave a pointed look to Emma's hand on her cheek and the younger woman blushed.

"You are alive!" Emma shrieked, still keeping her hand on Regina's cheek.

"It appears I am." Regina was having too much fun with the blonde's reaction.

Regina was still surprised of Emma's reaction since she had not tried to attack her or run away from her. In fact, the moment the two women left the Dark Army behind, she had expected Emma to grab her horse and leave without looking back. Instead, what had happened was that she had made Regina change clothes so that they wouldn't get unwanted attention and had paid the man in the stables for his services. Quickly the two had gotten on top of Bug and made their way to the forest where they would spend the night.

"But how?" Emma mumbled while stroking the older woman's cheek, needing the contact as confirmation that the brunette in front of her was real and not a figment of her imagination.

"I am not sure." Regina whispered honestly while putting her hand on top of the blonde's in a sign of reassurance.

"My parents told me you died. They told me you tried to run away and got killed because of that." Emma whispered, feeling butterflies in her stomach with the way Regina was stroking her hand.

"I got help. From the Blue Fairy." she told the blonde while sitting down and making the younger woman do the same.

Emma took her hand off her face but still held the brunette's hand firmly. "Blue helped you escape." she smiled sadly. "So that's why the guards' story was all fuzzy and weird."

Regina smiled too. "For whatever reason, the Blue Fairy had the order of saving me and she could not refuse to obey it."

"But where were you during all of these years? And why do you still look so young?"

"It seems that during the last 18 years I was in a state of nothingness. Until I met you yesterday I had no idea that such a long time had gone by."

"That's why you had no idea of the Sorcerers' War." Emma whispered and squeezed her hand. "Oh Regina..."

"Do not feel sorry for me." the brunette said sadly. "I deserved my punishment. I was judged by Fate and spent these last 18 years paying the price of all my wrongdoings."

"Fate judged you? As in Fate the creators of all realms and realities? The ones that rule over the fairies?"

"You are very knowledgeable for being a mere human." Regina complimented the blonde who blushed. "And yes, they were the ones who ordered the Blue Fairy to help me escape."

"You paid the price..." Emma muttered to herself. "And got absolved by Fate?" Emma said happily. "Do you know what that means? It means that no human or magical entity can judge you for your crimes."

"I am aware." Regina smirked, finding adorable the blonde's dorkiness. "But you know who I was Emma, and what I did." she reminded the young woman. "Not many will forgive me, worse want me to remain alive."

"Don't say that!" Emma's hold on Regina's hand got tighter. "It's true that I never saw what you did, but I am no one to judge you or your actions. In fact, I am no one to judge Fate's decision to grant you forgiveness. You, Regina Mills, are a free woman that deserves to live her second chance the way she wants to."

Regina cried softly, surprised and thankful towards the blonde woman who was smiling warmly at her. Unlike others who were too afraid of her, Emma was afraid for her. She felt warmth in her previously cold heart and smiled brightly. It had been so long since she felt something for another person. She had forgotten how wonderful feeling like this was.

"Thank you Emma." she whispered while kissing the young blonde's hands, surprising herself and the blonde with this gesture.

Emma smiled happily and nodded. "And do you want to get your kingdom back, Queen Regina?"

Regina knew that Emma was teasing her with the use of her royal title. "About that..." the brunette remembered. "I fail to understand how easy it is for you to discuss my attempt at recovering my kingdom. You are aware that in order to do so I will have to face your parents?"

"Have you seen the way things are?" Emma retorted. "My parents are the worst royals of the realm. They have led their kingdom to bankruptcy, eliminated more than half of the population with the Sorcerers' Wars and are currently losing their land to King Frederick and Queen Abigail."

"I thought the kingdoms made an alliance to not invade each other's territories?"

"My parents never discussed the territory that was part of the lowlands where the fairies used to live."

"And that territory is in both kingdoms." Regina understood.

"Yes. Before the war, that territory was part of the White Kingdom because most of the magical beings lived there. But, with the elimination of fairies, it is now a mere land that is in the middle of the two kingdoms. For King Frederick and Queen Abigail, that territory is an extra gain to their kingdom. To my parents, to lose that land is an immense loss because it has always been accounted as part of the White Kingdom."

"Well, I feel I am somehow responsible for Snow White's lack of intelligence when it comes to politics and war strategy." Regina shrugged.

"Oh, don't be. She had enough time to prepare herself and actually went against her council when they advised her to not take part in Sorcerers' Wars. You know, since the war mostly took place in their kingdom because of the majority of the magical beings living in said kingdom." Emma said with sarcasm and made Regina smile.

"You are certainly not what I expected, Emma White." Regina purred and enjoyed the young woman's blush.

"When you were presumed dead, my mother kept your advisors on her council for the first years, accepting their suggestions when it came to magical beings laws and treaties." Emma winked at her when she saw Regina's shocked face. "But when she felt comfortable enough in the throne she dismissed them and created a council of royals who were financing her new government. Of course, these people only cared about money and earning it for themselves instead of helping the poor." Emma said angrily. "And little by little the kingdom fell apart and became what you just saw. It is because of this that I want to see you win it back. You, although firm and against my mother and her supporters, were one of the smartest and best prepared rulers this realm has ever seen."

"And how would you know this?" Regina asked intrigued.

"Your hidden library." Emma further blushed when she saw the brunette's teasing smile. "I was a rather curious child and I ended up discovering many secret passages. One of these led to an old room, and after going through the stuff in it I saw transaction books, maps and magic books. I immediately assumed that they belonged to you while you stayed at the Summer Palace." the blonde kept looking at Regina. "And I read every single thing you wrote in them. You knew your kingdom, you were fair with magical beings and your people had food and jobs. Perhaps the only thing I could criticize about your reign is your desire to kill Snow White." Emma teased her softly.

Regina laughed loudly, completely surprised and relieved at the way Emma saw her. This was just too good to be true and she wanted to make sure that the younger woman was not confused or deceiving her. The latter thing had occurred too many times already.

"Emma, I killed because I could. I destroyed many people's happiness in an attempt to get mine back." she whispered sadly. "And still here you are, teasing me about my time as Queen and helping me get my throne back."

"And you need to understand Regina that the world is not simply black or white." Emma said vehemently. "The world is set in different shades of gray, and just as good people can do bad things, bad people can also do good things. You Regina, were acting as a Queen and attempting to keep peace in your kingdom during my mother's upheaval. Your actions would, and have been done, by all the royals of this realm. Only difference is that you got accused of wickedness and evil by it while the 'good side' called it justice. So you see, it all depends on the way you see it."

Although she felt that this next question was going to reveal her weakness, she needed to know if Emma was attempting to just use her for her own gains. Their conversation, the lingering touches and the warm smiles confused her and yet made her want to believe that the blonde was being honest and true. She craved for the young woman's presence, and for some strange reason she felt as if they had known each other for longer than what it has actually been. Taking a deep breath, she took Emma's hand and squeezed it.

"Emma..." the brunette said softly. "You know who I am, who I was." she stopped and gathered herself. "And although my reputation says that I am cold and heartless, the reality is quite the opposite: I am afraid that I feel too much, and because of this I have been hurt in the past by the people I trusted to protect me from pain. This, in return, made me become an isolated and suspicious woman. I learned that good intentions are hidden attempts at acquiring future favors." she saw that Emma was getting ready to answer to answer and she stopped her. "I am not saying with this that I believe you are one of these people. But, it does make me question why you are not one of them: I wanted to destroy your parents' happiness, hence your own, and still here you are grabbing my hand and blushing at my remarks." she took her hand away from Emma's and held the blonde's face softly. "Please, do not make me believe that you want to be my friend when all you desire from me is a future favor. I understand that I need you with me in order to get my kingdom back, but we can do that as political partners." Regina said while staring at deep green eyes. "My offer for you to be a part of my council and a knight of my kingdom remains, Emma White, no matter what you decide."

Emma smiled sadly and sighted when she felt Regina's hands caressing her face absently. "I don't know exactly what made you be so scared of placing your trust on people." she started. "And I know that this mistrust is not misplaced or unfounded. But, what I do know is what it feels like to be rejected and misunderstood. For many years I saw how much I disappointed my mother: She wanted me to become a princess, to enjoy royal life and the politics behind it. Instead, what I really wanted to do was take Bug and disappear for days. I enjoyed the adrenaline I felt when I was galloping on the meadow, the quietness of the trees and the twitching of branches when I was setting my bow and arrow for the kill. I loved laying down on the soft ground and simply stare at the sky because no matter who I was, it was always going to be and act the same way towards me." Emma smiled warmly at the brunette. "I have always believed that our actions are our own but Fate pushes us. I mean, I could have run away from my parents earlier than when I did. In fact, I had even thought about it many times before I finally did it one week ago."

"And why did you not do it sooner?" Regina whispered.

"Because I hoped my parents would change: I desired my mother's love and for my father to fight for me. Running away wouldn't have shown this, so I held on to this idea that if they saw my pain they would try to fix it. Of course, my hopes were crashed the moment they announced my engagement to Prince Killian and at that moment I knew that I was the only one responsible for my own happiness." Emma said softly and attempted a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Besides, I don't think that it was a coincidence that you got set free from limbo the same day some White guards found me. Nor the fact that it was I the person that almost killed you when you appeared in the middle of the road."

"Also, do not forget that you turned out to be the daughter of my former archenemies and the sole heir to the other half of my former kingdom." Regina teased and this got her a real smile from Emma.

"Well, sometimes Fate can be a bitch." Emma said and the two women laughed. "But as I told you before, I am no one to challenge or question the decisions that Fate takes. And, based on all the gathered evidence, it's obvious that Fate wanted us together and I agree with their decision. With you Regina, I feel that I can be myself. You challenge me and make me want to be more than what I was. I don't have to hide my true self from you, in fact you actually bring it out of me." she took the brunette's hands away from her face and set them up so the two of them could see them, still maintaining the contact. "I was not attempting to gain a future favor from you when I decided to help you. I was just looking for you to be my friend." she whispered the last part.

Regina felt the sincerity behind the blonde's words, and without a thought she hugged the young woman tightly, immediately feeling her loosen up and return the hug earnestly.

"I believe you." the older woman said and a soft white light appeared around them, none noticing it since they were deeply staring at each other. "And I also want to be your friend, Emma White."

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

"Rumplestiltskin, you have a visitor." the guard said and a person in a hood appeared in front of him

"Still trying to fool me, your Majesty?" he laughed and pointed towards the hood. "You don't need to hide your pretty face from me. In fact, after 18 years of solitude it would be nice to see the face of the fairest of them all."

Snow White lowered her hood and carefully approached the magical cell.

"My presence here is for my sole benefit, remember that." she threatened him.

"In order to get my services you would need to do a deal with me." the man shrieked in delight. "Rules remain the same."

"How about I don't cut your head?"

"Thanks but no thanks." the man laughed maniacally. "Besides, we both know I am no good to you dead."

Snow White took a deep breath and knew that in order to receive she would have to give something in return. "What do you want?"

"What I want is an old book of the Evil Queen. It had belonged to me before it was stolen by her mother, Cora. I know that after you killed her you sent your guards to her castle to confiscate all of her belongings. This book must have been between them and I merely want it back in my possession."

"So anything I ask you will do as long as I allow you to take this book?" Snow asked. trying to understand in which way the book would help the man. His request was too innocent and this scared her.

"Indeed your Majesty. As you know very well, not many people manage to break a deal with me. Cora did, and in the process stole my book. This book, because of her insolence, now symbolizes this victory of her. To have it back would mean that in the end she paid the price for breaking my deal."

Snow White was desperate, and because the request did not directly deal with an object that belonged to her, she was ready to accept the deal. "In exchange of this book you will help me locate my daughter, Princess Emma."

"Has the independent Princess finally grown tired of royal life and pompous tea parties?" the man smirked in enjoyment.

"What my daughter does is not your business."

"Indeed, so do we have a deal?" he took his hand out.

Snow looked at it hesitantly for a couple of seconds. "Ok, Rumplestiltskin, you got yourself a..."

"Your Majesty!" a guard interrupted and the woman took her hand away from the cell. "They found her! They found Princess Emma!" he said nervously and the Queen smiled.

"That is wonderful news!" she said relieved at not having made the deal with the wizard. "I want you to bring her to me right now."

"We cannot." the man whispered and this earned the attention of the Queen and Rumplestiltskin.

"What do you mean you can't?" Snow White asked murderously.

"She... she evaded capture." the guard whispered.

"How is it possible that a mere 18 year old woman managed to defeat a small royal battalion?!"

"She had help..." the guard gulped down, clearly more nervous with the news he was about to give.

"From whom? Spies of King Frederick and Queen Abigail?"

"No, your Majesty." the guard said.

"Then who else would help her? A reward was offered and in times like this no one would refuse to acquire it."

"The Evil Queen." the guard said and Snow White froze. Rumplestiltskin also remained quiet. For the first time in many years he had nothing to say.

"But it's impossible. We killed her. I saw her body!" Snow screamed loudly. "You must be mistaken."

"A woman performed magic when your daughter was being escorted by the captain of the battalion. The magic was a purple smoke and the moment sympathizers of the Dark Kingdom swore a service oath, their clothes got transformed into Dark Army armor. Your soldiers were defeated and sent back to the castle, along with a letter from the Evil Queen." he took it out of his pocket and gave it to the shaking hands of Snow White.

 _My Dearest Stepdaughter,_

 _I must admit that you almost succeeded in your attempt to kill me. In fact, the moment your UnCharming husband crushed my father's heart I thought that all hope and chance at revenge was destroyed with it. I had hoped that 18 years would allow you to grow and somehow embrace the role of a true monarch. Nevertheless, it seems that I was right when I told you that you would never be able to be a Queen: Your kingdom is bankrupt, your people hate you and your own daughter runs away from you. Although she has your chin, she is quite beautiful, and thankfully nothing like you or your excuse of a husband. Should I be worried that people that have lived in your kingdom for 18 years swear their loyalty to me, the Evil Queen? Certainly dear Snow, I thought I taught you better when it came to power and keeping your kingdom under control. Instead, what I see is poverty and guards that go from town to town raping women and drinking themselves to oblivion._

 _Because of all of this, and of my subjects desires, I feel that I must reclaim the Kingdom that I had to pay for when I married your disgusting father. If you surrender your right to the throne, I promise no lives will be lost in vain. But, if you wish to fight for it I will do so as well._

 _T_ _he time of Queen Snow White has ended and the time of Queen Regina is just beginning._

 _I anxiously await for your response and Princess Emma says hi._

The moment Snow White finished reading the letter she felt her blood boiling. Tearing the letter apart while screaming, she felt her whole world fall apart. Not only was Regina alive, but she was with her daughter. She had to stop her no matter the cost. She had to maintain her kingdom no matter the price. She had spent too much time fighting for it and now she was not going to lose it. She would kill the Evil Queen once and for all and make her daughter marry Prince Killian if it was the thing she did. Her line of thought got interrupted by the maniac laugh that came from the cell.

"It seems that the Evil Queen is back." he chirped happily while dancing around the cage. "And is in the company of your daughter." he sang.

"She won't be for long." Snow White murmured darkly and this got another laugh from the wizard.

"Now why are you laughing?" she spat at him.

"Oh, for no reason dearie." he smirked. "I was just thinking that you rebelled against the Evil Queen in order to free your people from her evilness and yet you turned out to be far worse than her. Perhaps I should have chosen you as my apprentice instead of her."

"I do this for justice. To keep the people safe from her wrath."

"Oh no dearie. We both know that you are doing all of this for yourself and for your need to remain in power. A bandit that has earned gold does not part from it so easily."

"I am a Queen!"

"The more reason to be afraid then, since a monarch believes all his acts are automatically forgiven and justified because of their self-imposed virtue. How much darkness would one be able to find in your heart if it was taken out?" he laughed darkly.

Snow White simply turned around and left him laughing by himself. She took a look at the guard that kept away from the door and told him to not feed the wizard for a week. She had too much to do, and based on what Regina wrote, she needed help and she needed it fast. The Evil Queen was coming for her, again.

* * *

 **P.S:** It was certainly difficult to write the sex scene between Snow and Charming because in the show she is sweet and annoying. In my story, Snow is manipulative and aware of how to get what she wants no matter the means she takes to do so. As you can see a complete change. Hope I did it ok and that it didn't seem weird.


	7. What You Are Doing To Me

**Author's note:** Yay to a new chapter! Longest one yet and I want to thank you so much for all your reviews and follows/favorites. For some reason fanfiction is not letting me see them on the website so I can't answer any of them. But I will tell you that Snow and Charming's sex scene was the last one of them you will read (I just wanted to show to what length Snow would go to in order to manipulate his husband). Enjoy the chapter :)

* * *

 **Somewhere in the Enchanted Forest,**

"How far away are we from your castle?" Emma asked while stretching her back. After their heart to heart the two women decided to get back on the horse and head straight towards the Dark Kingdom.

Regina had calculated that it would take them approximately five more days to reach her palace, and although she was excited to see it, she felt a small sense of dread and dark memories glooming in. "5 more riding days if I am not mistaken." she whispered somberly.

Emma noticed the woman's hold on her hips had gotten tighter, not unpleasantly, but clearly something was worrying her friend and had her on edge.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Regina shrugged. "Talk about what Princess?"

"About what has you all worried." Emma said firmly.

"Nothing is wrong."

"Lie." the blonde said. "Try again."

"I insist." the older woman said exasperated. "I am well."

"Lie again." her internal lie-detector told her.

"You cannot possibly know that I am lying."

"I can." Emma said seriously. "I have this superpower of sorts: I can tell when someone is lying to me, and you Regina have been doing so since I asked you what has you all worried."

Regina huffed in annoyance and accepted that there was no way she could evade this conversation. "I am afraid of what I will find the moment we reach the palace."

"I told you Regina, the White guards took all your personal belongings and have kept them locked ever since. For some strange reason, my mother didn't destroy the castle."

"She would have never done that: It was your grandfather's favorite one." she spat the last part of the sentence.

Emma flinched at the thought of Regina with an older man that definitely didn't love her. She had heard some peasants talk about King Leopold and Queen Ava's beautiful romance that ended up in tragedy when she fell mysteriously ill and died weeks later. Heartbroken, the King dedicated his life to his daughter Snow White and gave her everything she wanted. Nevertheless, even with King Leopold's extravagant gestures, the little girl craved a mother's touch and love, one that she found when a sweet woman saved her from a crazy horse. The King, thankful for the woman's actions, and after watching how infatuated her daughter became with the brunette, decided to marry her and make her Queen and mother. The new Queen then moved with the royals and became a mother to Snow White, who was slowly becoming a beautiful and very lovable child. Jealousy consumed the Queen, and after hiring a genie, she covertly killed the King and took control of the kingdom. Snow White, who had been grieving her father's death, failed to realize that her stepmother wanted her death, and after she escaped an assassination attempt, she became a bandit. The Queen, now revealed to be responsible for the King's death and with the control of his Kingdom, declared Snow White a traitor and sentenced her to death, earning herself the name of the Evil Queen. Emma knew that the tale her mother shared with her during her childhood was not true, and based on Regina's somber stance, she knew that something deeper, darker happened with his grandfather.

"Regina..." Emma said while taking one hand away from her horse's reign and placing it on top of the brunette's shoulder. "If I ask you something, would you tell me the truth?"

Regina tensed, somehow suspecting where Emma's line of thought was moving towards. "We should focus on reaching a safe resting area." she avoided to answer.

"Regina." Emma whispered and got closer to the woman's body and felt warm waves move between them. "Please don't shut me out." she saw haunted brown eyes stare at her. "Please trust me?"

"I cannot promise you that the answer will be a pleasant one." the brunette gave up, too tired to keep discussing with Emma.

"Can you tell me your story?"

"I cannot believe Snow White never told you the story of the Evil Queen."

"She did." Emma answered and smiled sadly. "But I want to know the story of Regina Mills."

Regina looked down in embarrassment, feeling ashamed of her weakness and her unfounded fear. It had been so long and yet here she was shaking like a child and mumbling incoherent thoughts.

"I want to know the story of the intelligent and beautiful woman that I will help get her happy ending back."

Regina smiled softly. "Something that I still do not understand."

Emma chuckled. "What can I say? I am a tough person to figure out."

"Indeed you are." Regina stared deeply at Emma and got lost in her green eyes. Something strange was happening with her; she was opening herself with a stranger who didn't feel like one at all. It was as if Emma was everything she needed in a person, and yet was independent enough to stand up to her and defy her. _Defy and help me,_ Regina thought and smiled warmly. Not once had Emma lied to her or said something that she didn't mean. In fact, every question she had asked the blonde woman had answered it. Emma deserved the same.

"In order to understand how I found myself galloping towards a frightened young Snow White, you must learn about my family's humble beginnings. My father was the 5th of 5 brothers and hence the one with the least possibility of becoming a King. My mother, unlike him, was a mere miller's daughter with dreams of royalty and grandeur. After successfully entering a royal party hosted by King Xavier, my grandfather, my mother stated that she knew magic and could transform straw into gold. Of course, she had no knowledge of how to do this, and when she was locked in the highest tower of the Kingdom and expected to have gold by the morrow, a powerful wizard appeared to her. This wizard offered her a deal: teach her how to turn the straw in exchange for her first child. My mother accepted, desperate to finally be recognized, and when the King saw the gold he offered her a marriage to his youngest child, my father. What none of them expected was the wizard falling in love with my mother and her falling in love with him. This worked to her advantage because now the wizard did not want her first born child, but _their_ first born child."

"Yet she was still meant to marry the Prince." Emma started to see where this story was going.

"Correct. And, blinded by her desire for power, but still desperately in love with the wizard, my mother used magic to get rid of the thing that was stopping her from saying no to him." she then looked at Emma and smiled dejectedly. "Her heart."

"That's impossible Regina. She would have died the moment it got out of her body."

"Not if it is done with magic." Regina reminded her. "Besides, you do know that I partook in the practice of it." she looked down in embarrassment.

"The woman who did that was the woman you were not the woman you are." Emma reminded her and Regina felt her heart swell in happiness.

"Without a heart you cannot feel love, and since she never had a child with the wizard, the terms of the deal were never met and the wizard disappeared from my mother's life. Nevertheless, since the moment she took her heart out she slowly started to lose her ability to love. At first she was contempt with her life, having riches and respect from the same people that had previously looked down on her." Regina whispered and she searched for Emma's hand and squeezed it. "But then it was not enough. She realized that King Xavier married her off to a man that would never have real power in his kingdom. So, the moment I was born, and having accepted that _she_ would never become a Queen, mother decided that her life goal would be to make _me_ the queen she never was."

Emma could feel Regina's pain, and hoping that her touch somehow brought any kind of support and relief to the older woman, she continued to lead Bug towards the forest, the two of them distracted by the witches somber tale.

"But, as it usually happens with Fate, the daughter that my mother wanted was not the daughter she got." Regina smiled. "In fact, instead of caring about power and royalty, what young Regina wanted was to be free of her mother's control. You see, when one has a bird, it can never truly fly unless you set it free. By keeping it captured, you control the bird and what it does, which was what mother did with me: The people were scared of her magic and my father grew weak and terrified of her power. The man that he had been got shaped into a coward that did her every bidding." she whispered sadly. "Even allow his wife to abuse of her daughter physically and mentally. At first I failed to understand what was wrong with me, why mother was incapable of loving me for who I was. I blamed myself, and slowly grew to accept that love was an impossibility and that I should not expect to feel it from her. Instead, I met a young stable man who for some strange reason had been brave enough to apply for a job."

Emma smiled warmly at the older woman's reverent tone. It was obvious that she had loved this man deeply.

"Daniel was many wonderful things Emma." Regina kept a sad smile on her face. "But one thing that he could not do was face my mother's wrath, just as my father. The two persons I loved the most in the world were the same ones that could not free me from the misery I experienced and went through under my mother. When I reached my 16 years of age, mother decided that it was time for me to marry. My naïveté blinded me from her plans, and on one picnic I saw a young girl and her horse galloping through our land. Without a thought I jumped on top of mine and chased the girl who was close to falling down. That little girl was Princess Snow White, the daughter of King Leopold. Surprisingly, later that day we were visited by the King, and in a gesture that was meant to be seen as a token of appreciation, he asked for my hand in marriage. Numbed, my mother accepted for me, and the moment she did so it was the moment I decided to escape. I did not care about riches or power, the only thing I wanted was love and that meant being with Daniel. We devised a plan to run away from mother, and after sealing our marriage promise with a kiss, I saw that Snow White had seen the whole thing. A promise was made between the two of us when I explained to her the wonders of True Love." she huffed in annoyance and Emma cackled. "Wonders that were then crushed by mother when she took Daniel's heart and turned it to dust." she finished somberly.

"And without Daniel you had nowhere to run to, hence forcing you to marry the King." Emma whispered.

"I was miserable. I had to pretend to love someone when my heart was still mourning Daniel's death. Not only that, but the moment I became Queen I discovered that Snow White had told my mother about my plans to escape with Daniel. In fact, this had been the way she found out about our relationship and where we would be preparing for our departure."

"So because my mother was incapable of keeping a secret you lost your True Love?"

"Your mother, Miss Swan, has always been selfish and narcissistic. Her needs always came first."

"I won't even try to refute that because it is true." Emma said somberly.

"Alas, after we finished our vows and the guests left, I was informed that I had marital duties to fulfill as well."

"He didn't..." Emma said angrily. "Please tell me he didn't."

"I can't." Regina cried. "In all her lessons about etiquette and politics, mother never explained to me the duties a wife had to fulfill. I had no idea of how sex worked, what I was supposed to feel and how it would be. Although good to his daughter and his subjects, Leopold was the source of my nightmares until I finally killed him." she finished angrily. "Not only did he rape me night after night for months, but he also blamed me for not providing him with a child, a sibling for his daughter."

"I swear that were he alive I would kill him for you." Emma said darkly. "Did my mother know about this?"

"Yes, in fact, many times she witnessed the results of her father's ministrations."

"And with that fact known she still refuses to see how much she has wronged you?!"

"Your mother got taught that the duty of a Queen was to do the bidding of his husband. She is the exception to the rule because she is a first born, hence she has direct descendance to the throne."

"Right now I am so angry Regina." Emma was crying softly and Regina noticed it immediately.

"Why are you crying Emma?" she cupped the blonde's cheek. "I was the one that got the bad part of the deal."

"I am crying because for many years I have heard society judge you, attack you for your actions and yet not a single voice defend you when you have obviously experienced so much sorrow."

Regina's heart broke for the younger woman. "I deserve their judgment because I wronged them many times. The things I did have no justification."

"But it was my own family the one that destroyed your life." Emma stopped Bug and got down, quickly walking away from Regina.

"Emma, where are you going?" Regina followed her after leaving Bug tied up. "It is dangerous to walk alone in the forest."

Emma ignored her and just kept on walking forward, tears falling non-stop from her eyes. She couldn't listen to anything more, she couldn't understand how it was possible for Regina to be with her.

"Emma." the blonde saw purple smoke envelop her and felt strong arms hold her in place. "What do you think you are doing?!"

"What do I think?" Emma asked incredulously. "The question is what do you think you are doing? I mean, you know who I am, who my parents are and yet here you are talking to me as if there is nothing wrong."

"Because nothing is wrong."

"How can you even say that!" Emma screamed and surprised Regina. "God, do you know how painful it is to know that my family, the people I admired while growing up, have been the cause of most of your suffering? And not only that, but the fact that my mother, knowing her part in your past, still refuses to accept her responsibility for it?!"

Regina stayed rooted to the ground. Emma took advantage of this hesitation and continued her speech.

"Is this all part of a plan to get the ultimate revenge on my family? Not that they don't deserve it or that I wouldn't understand, but I just can't think of another reason for you to want my company. I mean, do you see Snow White's chin or Prince Charming's eyes when you look at me?" Emma spat angrily and got closer to the brunette. "Tell me now, because I will not be made a fool out of anyone." she grabbed the brunette's shoulders and squeezed them tightly, almost painfully. "I see so much pain in your eyes, so much suffering, and now that I know that my family was somehow responsible for it makes me feel disgusted with myself."

"You said it, it was your family, not you!" Regina screamed back and shook the younger woman, trying somehow to make sense of what had just transpired between the two of them. She could see Emma's lips tremble in anger, her eyes open in fear of rejection and yet clearly expecting it.

"I do not know why I want you to be so close to me." she murmured and looked down. "But I am sure that I want you here, with me. The moment I came out of nothingness I promised myself that I would change and not look for revenge. Not only that, but thinking of you in any kind of harm's way worries me. That..." Regina said firmly. "was one of the motives for my nerves: I do not know how people will react to us working together. In fact, I have always done things by myself because that way only I can get hurt. But having people with you, people you care about..." she whispered the last part and saw Emma staring deeply at her. "makes you weaker. Makes it easier for your enemies to retaliate and hurt you and at the end earn control over you. I know myself very well, Emma Swan, and one thing I have always failed to do is protect the people that are close to me."

Emma closed her eyes and took in everything Regina had just said to her. She knew it had all been true and she didn't need to use her lie detector to confirm that. In fact, the reason she lashed out at the older woman was because of self-disgust and pity. Disgust because she had grown-up admiring and loving people that made others miserable so that they could remain happy. She at first thought that it was ignorance, but now she was wondering if all of these mistakes were done out of malice. Her mother had been so desperate for a new mother that she had consciously kept a young woman captured in a loveless marriage, an abusive marriage. Then, she led her people to starvation and poverty so she could have an easy life. Finally, she tried to sell her daughter to the highest bidder to maintain said lifestyle. It was certainly ironic, and she didn't care how many times she would keep repeating this, that her mother was still seen as the hero of the story.

"Emma, for the love of everything that you hold dear, please answer me." Regina begged her when the silence lasted for too long.

Emma saw concerned brown eyes stare at her and this was when she completely lost it. She fell to the floor, and were it not for Regina she would have sported a huge bruise on her head. Instead, she fell under her knees with a strong lean body holding her close.

"I just don't understand." Emma was crying openly now. "What could possibly possess you to make you care about me? I am terrified right now, of what I could become. I mean, I am my parents' child, does it mean that I am meant to become like them? Become that selfish and self-absorbed? That no one comes above my needs and goals?"

"You are nothing like them." Regina whispered to her. "In fact, you are the most selfless person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting." she cackled softly. "Thankfully nothing alike your dreadful parents."

Emma chuckled. "I am sorry Regina." she whispered sadly.

"For what? For leaving when I told you not to? For questioning my path towards redemption? Or for ruining my favorite riding pants?" the brunette teased her.

"I guess for all of them?" Emma looked down.

"Emma..." Regina whispered and raised the woman's chin.

What Regina was going to say next got lost because an arrow suddenly landed on a tree near them and this made the two of them separate from each other. Looking around for the person responsible, Emma felt herself get tense, suddenly needing any kind of weapon to protect Regina. Purple smoke enveloped her and Emma saw that she had her sword in one hand and a heavy metal shield on the other. Smiling softly in appreciation, she turned around and noticed that Regina was also now holding a sword. Smirking at the thought of the older woman knowing how to use it, she stood next to her and flinched when an arrow merely made contact with her head. Merely thanks to Regina who grabbed it with her hand and tossed it right back, confirming that it reached its target with the yell of a man.

"Shit, that's a cool trick." Emma complimented her and got a teasing smile in return. "I wonder who is stupid enough to shoot an arrow at me?"

"Really dear? Did you not hear what I just told you? People will attempt to hurt you because you are an ally of the Evil Queen."

"Yeah, still don't know who that woman is." Emma teased her. "And it seems that they also don't seem to know with whom they decided to mess with." she said firmly. "Do you feel their presence?"

"Yes." Regina simply replied. "I can feel 10 men surrounding us."

"Then I guess it's time you do your neat root trick and hold them in place. We don't want runaways."

Regina smiled evilly and nodded her agreement, purple magic immediately moving from her hands and surprising the men who had been anxiously waiting for any sign of retaliation. Emma then ran towards the man that was closest to her, and in a clear movement she disarmed him and knocked him out with a quick hit on top of his head. Smiling, she then dodged some really poorly aimed arrows and used her shield to barrel into the short man who had been firing at her. Avoiding a fist and a desperate kick, Emma gave one of her own in return and the man got knocked out cold. Turning around, she saw Regina in the middle of a fight with a tall man. Regina's advantage was that she was smaller and leaner, which made her move quickly around him. Still, the man's blows were strong and made the woman's hold on the sword slightly falter. Emma was making her way to her when a man jumped from one of the bushes and made her fall to the ground. More annoyed than hurt, she got up and saw him smugly smiling at her.

"What, too much of a pussy to attack a woman from the front?" Emma tainted him and his smile disappeared. "And I thought that between the two of us it was me the one who had one. Well, guess that makes me the one with the balls." she plunged his sword towards him and he barely had time to dodge the hit.

"You bitch!" the man bellowed and again tried to hit her.

Emma laughed and moved out of the way, which made him run straight towards a tree. With his sword stuck on it, Emma merely used her snow and gave him a hard blow to the head, successfully taking him out of commission. Her attention then went again towards Regina, who had used her magic to raise from the ground and was now fighting the tall man evenly. He seemed confused by her movements, and in a move that would have made Emma lose her balance as well, Regina got his sword and threw it away. When the man still went towards her, she moved her hand and a rock landed on his face, quickly making him fall back.

Giving him one last look, Regina formed a fireball and threw it close to Emma, who had been too enthralled with the brunette's skills. Lucky for her, the woman noticed a man lurking from one of the trees and had stopped him before he got too close to the blonde. After this was done, she moved towards a group that was gathering their arrows. Smirking, she raised her hands and the bows turned to dust, earning some surprised and worried screams from the men. Two of them ran away, too afraid of the two women, but the other three remained in their places and got their swords out. At that point Emma had made her way towards her, and with a striking smile, she pointed at the two men of the left.

"Those are mine." she whispered.

Regina smiled. "Are you sure you do not want me to take two?"

"No, besides, you already got the tall one." she fake pouted. "Gotta let the rest of us have some fun."

The brunette laughed warmly and nodded in agreement. She was having so much fun and it seemed that Emma felt the same way. Too lazy to run, Regina raised her hand and pulled the man on the right towards her, who, unable to do something against her hold, merely moved in an attempt to free himself. Bored, Regina made him land straight on the back of her sword, the blow strong enough to render him unconscious. Emma simply made a run, and placing herself in the middle of the two them, she raised her left hand and magically got given another sword. Smirking, she fought the two men at the same time, slowly gaining on them and tiring them enough so their movements were becoming sloppy, which was what she was waiting for. When one of them made a desperate attempt to finish her, Emma simply moved out of the way and saw the man's sword land on his friend's leg. The two fell to the ground, one of them in extreme pain, and the other because of the contact. Emma used her sword to hit the injured one, feeling sorry for him.

"Now..." Emma looked at the man on the ground. "Who are you and what made you stupidly think that you would succeed in a fight against us? More specifically, who sent you?"

The man remained quiet, and looking towards Regina, she saw the brunette get closer to him and grab his face tightly.

"I know you..." she laughed loudly. "This, my dear, is Robin Hood, famous thief of the rich and savior of the poor."

"Really?" Emma asked in amazement. "This is the man that has managed to rob thousands of royal carriages? It was so easy to beat him." she smirked when she saw his angered face.

"The bow that he possessed had magic in it so that it would never miss its target. Too bad I turned it to dust." she said sarcastically. "But it is far more interesting his motives for attacking us. I have no money left and based on the fact that he tried to kill you, he did not care about the reward offered for you. So tell me." she squeezed his face strongly and Emma could see the marks that her nails left. "Who sent you?"

"Queen Snow White." he murmured darkly and saw Emma's surprised look. "Hurting you was not part of the deal, but we figured the moment you drew your sword to protect the Evil Queen that you had chosen your side."

"So now Snow White employs a band of known thieves to do her bidding?" she asked, amused. "This is certainly not the Snow White I knew 18 years ago."

"We are her Majesty's Elite Army." he spat offended."

"If this is the best Snow has to offer then us getting my kingdom back will not take too long." she smirked. "And I assume that being a member of Snow White's Elite Army does come with its own incentives?" she continued smiling. "Perhaps some sort of compensation for your services and duty?" Regina teased him and the man got red.

"We do it so we can save the kingdom from people like you!" he screamed and got a hit from Emma.

"You do not talk to her like that! The real scum here is you, and based on what I just heard, an opportunist that only thinks about himself. A man my manipulative mother would surely employ: Easy to keep under control, easier to dispose off."

"I knew that the guards were not lying when they said you went with the Evil Queen willingly. You were always a thorn to the kingdom, ungrateful and unthankful for the good life you got. Many died so you would be in that place and yet here you are, running around the forest with the woman that killed your grandfather as company." Robin spat. "I would have done the King and Queen a favor by killing you."

Emma would have done something were it not for the fact that Regina had gotten so close to him that the two of them seemed to be sharing the air they were breathing. She had never seen the woman this angry, and based on Robin's scared face, neither had he. In fact, a soft purple aura was emanating from her, enveloping the three of them and turning the air suddenly heavy.

"You will never be able to do something of the sort." she spat at him and used her magic to choke him. "I promise you, Robin Hood, that if I ever see you again, or worse, see you near Emma again, I will finish your miserable life, redemption path be damned." she made her magic hold on the man's throat tighter. "And send a message to dear Snow White: Tell her that I will see her on the battlefield and that next time she should make sure of sending someone that does not go against her orders." she finished and with one hand movement she made all the unconscious men disappear.

"Where did you send them?" Emma asked.

"To the dungeons of the Summer Palace." Regina smirked, but then she looked at Emma and saw that she was holding her arm.

"Emma, are you ok?" she whispered while grabbing her and looking around.

"Of course." Emma said surprised. "Why shouldn't I... Ouch!" she screamed when she felt cold fingers pinch at her underarm.

"It appears that a sword may have nicked you on your underarm."

"Barely felt it." Emma teased and saw purple magic surround the wound.

"There, all better." Regina replied.

Emma thought that the brunette was going to tell her something else, but instead Regina just stared at her deeply, longingly. It was not an uncomfortable position, and Emma could notice brown pupils becoming darker. Hesitantly, and hoping that she was not misreading the situation, she took one hand and placed it lovingly on Regina's cheek, immediately feeling the brunette leaning towards it. She closed her eyes too and marveled at the closeness that the two were now sharing. She had never felt this way, not once in her life, and now the only thing that she could imagine herself doing was being with Regina. _This is crazy,_ her rational self told her, _you barely know her._ Her other self, the one she listened most to, said the opposite: _This feels so right, I know this is what I am supposed to feel like. This is where I am meant to be at._

Emma moved closer, and the lips that were near her hand moved too. She felt them moisten and after a couple of seconds plant a kiss on her hand, a kiss that left her breathless. Could this mean that Regina was feeling the same things she was feeling?

"I am." Regina whispered and the two women looked up, surprised and shocked.

"You are what?" Emma recovered first and stared at the older woman who seemed momentarily lost.

"Feeling." she simply answered and kissed Emma's hand again. "I do not understand it myself Emma, or how is it possible for me to be aware of your emotions. But I just know that I feel so many things for you. So many wonderful things." she whispered and smiled sadly. "But we cannot pursue this, whatever this is." she gave the blonde's hand one last kiss and started to move away.

"Wait, what?" Emma asked, completely shocked and confused. "I don't understand. You like me and I like you. Tell me why the hell we can't be something more." she demanded. "Is it because you see me as a child?"

Regina chuckled. "Darling, when I see you I see no child at all." she whispered darkly and Emma felt a tingling sensation on her stomach. "Which makes this..." she pointed at the two of them. "much harder."

"It doesn't have to be." Emma said and again flushed her body to Regina's. She heard the older woman's soft moan. "I know you want this as much as I do."

"I do." Regina choked. "But we can't Emma." she managed to say. "Please, do not do this to me."

"Do what?" she asked dejectedly.

"Do not let me fall in love with you." she whispered.

"If that is what it's meant to happen then who are we to stop it?"

"The people I love always leave me." Regina said sadly. "They die."

"Well, luckily for you I am an exception to that rule." Emma smiled.

"You do not know that." Regina said exasperated. "People will hunt you down, they will try to kill you based on what I feel for you."

"Ouch, you give me too little credit Regina: Some of them will come because of who I am and what I am doing." she joked and thankfully saw a small smile appear on the brunette's face.

"You are not taking this seriously enough. Besides, there are people that are so much better than me."

"Good for them." she simply replied. "I only want you Regina. But..." she then separated from the brunette and saw her staring longingly at her. "I will not force you if you really don't want it." she said while looking down.

"And that..." Regina said softly. "Is what makes you different from your family." she smiled. "And also what makes me like you so much."

"So much that you will be willing to give us a try?" Emma said hopefully.

"I am scared." the brunette whispered while approaching the blonde and holding her face determinedly. "But at the same time I am selfish enough to want you only for myself." she whispered while closing her eyes and inhaling the younger woman's scent. "Is that so terrible?"

Emma shook her head and closed her eyes when she felt Regina's lips linger on top of hers. "No one is stopping you from doing what you want." she murmured. "In fact, last time I checked, I was encouraging you."

Regina chucked. "We should not do this."

Emma opened her eyes and what she saw in Regina's eyes made her lose her breath: It was as clear as day. This, what she felt in her heart, was not fabricated. In fact, she was sure that it felt like love. Smiling brightly she cupped the older woman's face so it would point directly to her lips.

"We should." Emma whispered and closed the distance between the two of them.

The moment Regina's lips fell on top of Emma's, a white magic poured out of them, making all the vegetation surrounding them sprout to life. Nevertheless, the women didn't notice this because they were solely focused on their lips crashing against the other. Emma had never felt something like this, the red lips that were on top of hers caressing and nibbling hers sweetly, lovingly. Although a strong and passionate woman, Regina's kiss were the opposite: The way she was kissing Emma made the blonde woman feel revered and treasured. Not only was she sucking and leaving small bites on her lower lip, but she was also warming her cheeks with her hands by moving them in nonsensical patterns. It was the most wonderful kiss the young woman had ever experienced, and based on the small moans that the brunette was attempting to hold, the feeling was reciprocated. Smiling cheekily, Emma took her tongue out and moved it on top of Regina's lips, asking for permission to deepen the kiss.

Regina felt her knees give up when Emma's tongue made way inside of her mouth. Perhaps because it had been so long since she last shared a kiss with someone, or because she was kissing someone she deeply cared about, maybe even loved. Still, there was no way to deny this attraction: She wanted Emma and the young woman wanted her too. She had tried to keep her feelings at bay, tried to keep herself away from the blonde that had strangely captivated and earned her care from the moment they met. She couldn't stop thinking that Fate had something to do with this, and a small part of her wanted to stay away from Emma because of that suspicion. At the same time there was the bigger, most powerful voice that told her to just let go: That to be with Emma was the way she would be able to protect her from any dangers. She was not lying when she admitted her fear of losing the people she loved and that Emma was slowly winning her heart. _Let's be honest, the moment you lost the battle was when she looked at you with those deep green eyes._

It was then that Regina ended the kiss, watching Emma stare longingly at her lips, deep, steadying breaths required to stop herself from launching herself at them again. The brunette approached the blonde and hugged her tightly, happy at having her feelings reciprocated and terrified for having them so strongly.

"What are you doing to me, Emma Swan?" she whispered and kissed the blonde's neck.

"The same you are doing to me Regina Mills." she answered back and kept her hold on the shorter woman, her horse and their mission temporarily forgotten.

 **Hours Earlier At the White Castle**

Queen Snow White left the dungeons in a haze and angrily made her way towards the gardens. It was one thing to have her daughter roaming freely around the kingdom and it was another to learn that her archenemy was still alive. More disturbing was the fact that someone lied to her 18 years ago when they told her that she had died after attempting to escape the soldiers. She huffed in despair, her long-time fears resurfacing with the news of her stepmother and daughter being together. These were definitely bad news, and based on the number of people that willingly helped the Evil Queen fight her men, measures had to be taken in order to ensure loyalty to the White Kingdom. Pointing to one of the guards that were on standby, she waited until he reached her side and told him to fetch Robin Hood. The thief had been an invaluable asset when she invited him to join the army: He was well known around the kingdom for helping the poor and to have his favor meant the support of those peasants that were thankful to him. Like every man, Robin Hood had needs and desires that a small amount of coin could satisfy, that way ensuring his loyalty and service in her army. She was not sure of how powerful Regina was, or if she still had her magic, but one way to find out was by sending Robin Hood and his Merrymen to go after them. They were not terrible, but they were not the best her army had to offer, which in turn made them expendable.

"You called your Majesty?" the man bowed and rose when Snow told him.

"Yes I did." she replied and walked around, expecting the man to follow. "Have you heard the rumors?"

"About the Evil Queen being alive and on her way to take your kingdom?"

Snow nodded. "With the apparent support and company of my own daughter." she tensed and spat the last word. "We cannot let them destroy everything that we built. We cannot let evil win."

"And we will not." Robin said solemnly and Snow smiled. "Tell me how can I help you Majesty and it will be done."

"I want you to go find the Evil Queen and capture her." she simply told him. "Many years have passed and most probably she lost all her powers with the destruction of magical beings." she knew this was a lie. "Which makes you and your Merrymen perfect for the job. If done correctly." the woman smiled at him. "You and your men will be rewarded handsomely."

Robin nodded in excitement. "And what about the Princess?"

"You will capture the Princess and bring her back. She has a marriage to go to." she murmured and with a hand movement dismissed the man.

"Very clever in telling the forest man that the Evil Queen had no magic." a voice said from behind her and made Snow turn in surprise.

"Well, only way he would willingly go and gather some intel for us."

"Indeed." the man smiled mockingly. "And where was your husband during these new developments?"

"Asleep." Snow simply replied. "Rather exhausted after all his worries were appeased."

The man smirked. "Good. He is a fool but an important one if we want to keep the people in our favor. News about the Evil Queen's return will travel quickly around the realm. Stopping her rebellion before it even begins is our best way to go."

"Which is why I chose the Merrymen to face her. Knowing my stepmother, she will think that I sent them based on ignorance and will surely desire to gloat by at least sending one of them back. The only thing we need to do is wait until it happens."

"That does sound like her." the man agreed and Snow smiled warmly.

"But I do wonder how you found out about this when I just learned these news a few hours ago?"

"Magic." he simply replied. "I felt a fluctuation in it, someone else making use of its lingering energy."

"So Regina does have magic." Snow muttered.

"How powerful that magic is I cannot be sure until I am in the same area she is." the man said while getting closer to the White Queen. "But I promise you that I will not let her take your kingdom away from you."

Snow nodded and quickly moved the two of them away from the gardens. After a couple of minutes she found a deserted hall, and without a care the woman turned him around and desperate lips landed on top of his. She heard Snow moan when his hand landed on her buttock, and for minutes the two of them moved and glided with each other, devouring lips and holding back moans. Too soon for Snow's liking, the man separated from her and created some distance between the two of them.

"It is not very clever to do this in plain view." he whispered while cupping her chin lovingly. "What if a guard or someone else took notice and told your husband?"

"I no longer care for my husband: He is a weak man that is not willing to do whatever it takes to keep me from losing my kingdom. You, on the other hand, have been helping me since I spared your life many years ago."

"A very smart decision if I may say so."

Snow smirked and kissed him roughly again, not caring about hurting or leaving marks on him. "I merely did what you suggested me to do at that time, which was what ultimately convinced me on my intentions to let you live."

"And what was that?" the man smiled darkly.

"You don't need anyone's approval. Whoever made you feel that you were flawed or unworthy, you need to take that pain, the fear that they were right, and use it as the root of your power. A power that will give you freedom." Snow told him and the man responded with a hard kiss.


	8. Hidden

**Author's note:** I wanted to thank all of you for following/favoriting and reviewing this story! I know that some of you mentioned the fact that the Enchanted Forest is darker since the curse was not cast and that Snow White is completely evil. I would like to believe that power corrupts people and that it can make even people with good intentions become tyrannical.

About the identity of Snow's mysterious man, I left a clue in the previous chapter and perhaps with what you will read with this one it will make more sense ;) Hope you enjoy the chapter and suggestions are always welcomed. No Beta, so all mistakes are mine

* * *

 **Somewhere in the Enchanted Forest**

"So you can stop arrows with your hands..." Emma said while giving Bug a soft nudge. "You can change wardrobe, create balls of fire, use nature, you can move objects, you can transport yourself and others from one place to another... Am I missing something?"

Regina smirked. "The possibilities of magic are endless because magic is all around us. In the air, the trees, inside of you and me. The only difference is that I choose to use and shape this magic so that it aids me. Basically, the more imagination you have the more spells you can learn and use."

"So anyone with a good enough imagine could create magic."

"Magic, like energy, is not created nor destroyed: It is merely changed. In our realm there are different types of magic: The magic I employ comes from the ancient elves. It is a mixture of emotion and essence, and by essence I mean a person's capability to perform magic. Certain people have certain aptitudes that makes them able to perform magic on different levels."

"On different levels? I'm afraid I still don't understand."

"Not even I understand it fully and I have been learning magic since I was 17 years old." Regina smiled softly. "Humans with magic inside of themselves are capable, with easiness, to use their emotions to transform the energy. The result, light or dark magic, comes from their choices and how they have used their magic. There are other individuals who do not have magic, hence they cannot transform it by themselves. So, what they do instead is use spellbooks to absorb magic by chanting incantations. There are also others who started their existence as humans, but thanks to magical objects, were able to become magical beings." Regina smiled warmly at the blonde woman and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek. "But all of them are nothing in comparison to the power of True Love."

"The power of True Love?" Emma teased her a little and enjoyed the way Regina's body melted into hers. "If I didn't know better I'll say you are a hopeless romantic."

Regina laughed softly and hugged her lover, ecstatic at being able to do this so openly and see Emma accept all of her gestures so willingly. "Usually I tend to lean more towards the pessimistic side of romance." she confessed. "But it is impossible for me to deny the power of True Love: It can break any curse. In fact, you have been a witness to the living proof of that statement with your parents' marriage." she teased the blonde but instead of getting a smile in return she got a grimace. "What troubles you, my sweet Emma?"

Emma turned around and saw brown eyes staring deeply at her, concern obvious on her lover's face. She had felt so alive when Regina kissed her, and for a while she had forgotten about the Merryman's words. But after the two of them agreed on simply camping in that spot for the rest of the day, her mind had been plagued with the words he spat at her. How ungrateful and selfish she had been to her parents and her kingdom. Could it be true that the reason she felt so abandoned by her parents was because she never tried to belong?

"Nothing Regina." she answered.

"Did you know that there is a rather adorable trait that you have and that I simply adore?"

Emma smiled deviously. "Oh really? And what trait would that be?"

"When you lie, or hide something to me, your nose twitches from left to right. It is a very hard sign to see if you are not looking for it."

The blonde blushed and looked down in embarrassment. She had just been caught lying to the woman that had opened up her heart to her a day earlier and this is how she was repaying that trust? No, Emma had to do something and for once allow someone other than herself to see her pain and long hidden resentment towards her parents.

"I was just wondering if what that man said about me was true." she whispered and saw a surprised look from Regina. "Was it really selfish of me to want a life of my own?"

"Of course not." the brunette tried to calm her.

"Then why do I feel that them not loving me is my fault? I mean, they have True Love!"

"Towards each other." Regina smiled sadly. "That love cannot be felt or reciprocated by another individual that is not their soulmate. But that does not mean that they cannot love more than one person. Your feelings towards them are justified and even if they were not, no one should force you to explain or question them."

"I always believed that the best way I could live my life was by being honest with myself and others. From the start I knew that my mother's plans were not the same ones I had." Emma smirked softly at Regina. "A thing we seem to have in common."

Regina smiled. "Indeed we do Miss Swan."

"I like that you call me that way and not Emma White."

"Are you ashamed of your heritage?" Regina asked.

"If you would have asked me this question 2 weeks ago I would have said no. Now I'm not so sure of that answer. Everything I have learned since I left the palace only confirms to me that the parents I knew during my childhood became something completely different when I grew up. That, or I was fooled by them until the time that they simply didn't care about keeping the charade up." Emma shrugged and it broke the brunette's heart to see the usually exuberant woman feel like this.

"Well, Emma Swan, I for once am rather thankful for your parents' terrible parenting skills. Were it not for that, we probably would have never met."

Emma smiled brightly, and stopping Bug she turned her head around and kissed Regina. She smirked when the older woman closed her eyes and responded, butterflies in her stomach and warmth spreading around her body. She would never get tired of the older woman's lips for they seemed to taste like apples and cinnamon.

"And you say that you are not a romantic person." Emma said while separating from the brunette and chuckling when the older woman blushed profusely.

"It seems that you bring to the surface that side of me." Regina mumbled and earned points with Emma, who again stopped the horse and planted another strong, long kiss that only got stopped because of Bug.

"He is going to throw us if you keep forcing him to stop." she teased Emma who shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, Bug knows that were he to do so then there will be no more treats for him." Emma answered while patting his best friend. "Isn't that right?" she kissed his mare.

"I once also had a horse as loyal as yours." Regina said softly. "His name was Rocinante and he was beautiful. Apart from Daniel, he was my only company during my time in my parents' state. In fact, it was my father who gave him to me when I was 5 years old. We grew up together and he accompanied me until I became the Evil Queen." she didn't notice the tears that were falling from her eyes until Emma kissed them away. "I was in such a dark place during that time, so lost and desperate that I destroyed all the things that I loved for a chance at a new beginning for me."

"The Dark Curse." Emma said knowingly.

"I knew that my happiness would not occur in this realm, and because the Dark One made a deal with your parents where I would not be able to hurt them in the Enchanted Forest, he offered me another option: a curse that would take all of us to another land with no magic."

"But with magic there is always a price." the blonde murmured.

"The price of this curse was the heart of the thing I love most." Regina whispered and smiled sadly. "And although I failed to cast the curse I still paid the price."

"I'm so sorry Regina." the blonde said honestly and hugged her lover tightly. "Although it certainly does help that you failed because maybe we would have never met in this other realm."

"Do you really think so?" Regina teased her softly and pushed her hand forward so it would touch the young woman's chest. "Because something makes me suspect that no matter where or when we would have ended up, the two of us meeting would have been inevitable."

"Like destiny?" Emma asked. "I thought you didn't believe in destiny."

"I did not." Regina smiled. "But with all the recent events we have gone through, it does seem that Fate has taken a personal interest in us and our story."

"You have never told me what you discussed with Fate during your time in Limbo." Emma said.

Regina looked at her lover and smirked in agreement. Emma was far too curious for her own good and she found the action too endearing. This, in return, meant that it was almost impossible for Regina to deny Emma of acquiring new knowledge. Knowledge that of course came through her and her dark past. One that had been manipulated by the Imp who had obviously tricked everyone in the realm in order to get his son back. Now that she thought about him, she still didn't know if he was alive or dead. To forget about him was careless of her, specially since he was the only one that could stand in her way towards happiness, and knowing him he would always believe that he owns her.

"Emma..." the brunette whispered and Emma noticed the way her lover's tone changed from sarcasm to fear. "I have to ask you some questions about the Sorcerers' War. About some people that would have been targeted by this war."

Emma nodded in agreement.

"During my time as the Evil Queen I gained the hatred of many magical beings. Not to boast, but after the Dark One, I was the most powerful sorcerer in the Enchanted Forest. Because of this, I usually took advantage of the other less powerful individuals and in return earned their hate. Of course, during that time they did nothing but mentally throw daggers at me because of my position. But now I am not the same despicable woman I was before." she then looked at Emma and closed her eyes. "And now I have more to lose than before."

"You don't have to give me the whole 'I have changed' speech every single time we talk about your past." the blonde woman smiled and gave her a crushing hug. "Besides, as I keep telling you, there is nothing to forgive. So go ahead and ask me what you want to know."

"I want to know about two sorcerers that hated me. One of them was a witch with transfiguration abilities and the other one was Rumplestiltskin."

"Rumplestiltskin? What kind of weird name is that?"

"You may know him as the Dark One."

"But you said that the Dark One was the person who gave you the curse."

"Only to help himself." she replied angrily. "He wanted to go to this magicless land so he could find his long lost son."

"Then why didn't he make the sacrifice of the thing he loved most?"

"Because he has always been selfish and manipulative. Why mess your own hands when you can get someone else to do the hard labor for you?"

"He knew you would be desperate enough to cast the curse." Emma realized after a short pause.

"He knew me." Regina simply replied. "Because he was the one that trained me."

"You were the Dark One's apprentice?" Emma asked in complete shock.

"At first I only knew him as Rumpelstiltskin. It was years later when I realized that he was no friend of mine."

"How did he find you?" Emma asked. "I mean, of all the women in this realm, why did it have to be you?"

"Because he is Rumplestiltskin and he never fails to collect what was promised to him on a deal."

"But how could you have made a deal with him before even meeting him?"

"I was not the one who made the deal." Regina smiled sadly and this is when Emma realized what the brunette woman was trying to tell her.

"He is the wizard that offered to help your mom. The one she tricked so she could become a Princess." Emma said and Regina nodded. "That is seriously fucked up!"

"Indeed." Regina replied tersely. "And you know, the most ironic part was that I was the one who summoned him: I wanted help so I could get rid of my mom and he offered that help. After that I promised myself that I would stop using magic. You see, I was terrified of becoming like my mother and stupidly believed that I would not fall on the same path." she laughed darkly. "Obviously the apple did not fall far from the tree. Unlike her, I managed to kill my own father and her of course."

"Wait, your mother is dead?" Emma asked.

"After I banished her to another realm, I realized that it was not a real solution because she retaliated by kidnapping my father. I knew she would never let me be free from her influence or presence no matter where she was." Regina closed her eyes. "So I hired an assassin to go to her realm and take her heart out. And he succeeded." she finished and waited for Emma's reaction. She knew this was the moment Emma would either stay or finally do what she expected her to do a long time ago and run away.

"Your mother caused you a lot of pain and I understand why you had to do what you did." Emma whispered and Regina raised her eyes in complete shock. "By saying this I'm not congratulating you for what you did, but after all you have told me about her I am happy she can no longer hurt you."

Regina laughed and this earned her a shocked look from Emma.

"Oh Emma!" she whispered vehemently and grabbed the woman's face roughly. "When I think you will do something you surprise me by doing the exact opposite. Each time I share one of my secrets with you I expect you to get your horse and leave me. Instead here you are letting me kiss you." she murmured as she got closer to Emma and possessively took her lips. "No one." she looked at Emma. "Has ever accepted all of me like you do." she kissed Emma again. "Like you keep doing and I hope continue to do with the passing of time." she finished and again took Emma's lips and caressed them longingly with her tongue.

Emma was blissfully confused. She knew how much it meant for Regina to feel accepted. At the same time, she realized that Regina didn't expect her to forgive what she did in the past but merely understand why she did it and accept it as a part of her. Emma knew this because she wanted the same thing from the brunette: She wanted Regina to understand how sorry she felt for indirectly being responsible for her unhappiness and yet know at the same time that she is too selfish to desire someone else to be with her. She wanted Regina. No, that was not right: She _needed_ Regina as much as she needed to eat and sleep. It was terrifying, the level of commitment that she felt towards the brunette when previously Emma would have been seen as a runner: She never got involved, she always wanted to have fun and move from place to place in search of new challenges. But with Regina she didn't need to run or move somewhere else because Regina herself was an adventure that she wanted to live and explore. The woman was a mystery that intrigued and got Emma deeper involved: The way she seemed to shelter and hide her true emotions in case someone used them against her or the way she openly expected rejection and was surprised when that was not the case. How she pretended to despise everything involved with love and yet she believed in True Love and probably dreamed of having it. How she pretended that words didn't hurt her and yet the pain she felt from the people who were supposed to protect her.

Well, Regina would no longer have to feel those things because Emma promised herself that no matter what Regina would always come first. But by coming first she understood that it was not going to be in the typical way of sacrificing herself so the brunette would live, but the way were the two of them would either live or die together. One thing she knew very well about Regina was that no matter why, abandoning her was the worst thing you could do to the older woman: Either as a way to keep her safe, or by foolishly trying to keep her away from the fight, Emma was not going to do those things and instead trust the woman completely with everything she learned. Besides, in all stories you could see that when the hero withheld information from her allies the action caused more harm than gain.

"I told you Gina, nothing you do will make me want to be away from you." Emma gasped while smiling at the older woman's enthusiasm.

"I think I am starting to believe that." Regina finished her kiss attack with an Eskimo kiss.

"So, what were we talking about before your wonderful lips landed on top of mine?" Emma teased her and the brunette blushed.

"The Dark One and whether he is still alive. I last saw him the day of the curse, before I went to finish the ritual. I went to see him. Well, actually gloat." Regina seemed embarrassed. "And he was bound in a magical prison under the Summer Palace."

"Because he got captured with fairy magic when he tried to steal Cinderella's unborn child." Emma finished for her.

"So that is how they finally caught him." Regina mused mostly to herself. "And then what happened during the wars?"

"All magical beings inside the kingdom were killed, no exceptions." Emma said confident.

"Are you sure? It would not be the first time the Imp managed to avoid death by making a deal."

"Well, unless my parents wanted retaliation from the other kingdoms then they had to kill every sorcerer they knew about."

"And Maleficent?" Regina decided to just let it be. She wanted to believe what Emma told her but she knew her master's antics very well and suspected that he didn't just allow anyone to kill him.

"The witch that poisoned Briar Rose and sent her to an eternal slumber?"

"Yes, she was a friend of mine a long time ago." Regina smiled softly. "In fact, I went to her in a moment of desperation and she helped me realize that the best revenge comes from taking away the things your enemy loves the most." she noticed Emma's smirk and blushed. "Not that I am planning on using that strategy again but it is a rather effective one."

"I'm just messing with you." Emma laughed.

"Well, you have a rather dark sense of humor dear." Regina reproached the younger woman but it turned out quite ineffective because she did it while smiling.

"Yeah, people never seemed to get it." Emma shrugged. "I think only Red laughed with my jokes."

"Red?"

"My godmother, Red Riding Hood." Emma clarified.

"The werewolf. Tell me dear, what did she have to say when Snow accepted to get involved in the Sorcerers' Wars?"

Emma tensed. "She was furious, and still until today has not forgiven my mother for betraying all their magical friends. You see, when it came to securing the throne after you were gone, my mother used the support of werewolves, shape-shifters and fairies alike. It was because of them that the White dynasty recovered the kingdom from your Dark guards. They were rather faithful." Emma added as an afterthought.

"Although I was desperate for revenge, I would like to believe that I was a good ruler: I rewarded loyalty and respected the people that respected me too. Was I severe with my punishments? Yes, but at the same time I was fair in giving them."

"I know." the young woman told her. "I read all about it in your books. I read all of them." she blushed and looked down in embarrassment.

Regina smiled evilly and got closer to the woman's ear. She knew what books she had in her library, and some of them were not exactly children material. In fact, basing herself on the way Emma was blushing, she had read them too and was now embarrassed by it.

"After I killed Leopold I had no idea of what to do." Regina whispered and Emma held her breath. "You see, for years I had been under his orders and whims. I had never been free, never enjoyed the royal life and the many advantages one had while being a royal. Since I was a widow, no one expected me to get married, merely keep the throne warm until your mother came of age. I knew that the moment I lost the kingdom I would have no chance of getting my revenge, so I started to gain followers inside the royal army. The many knights that fought with your grandfather were retiring, reason why it was easy for me to replace them with my own." she moved her tongue on top of Emma's ear. "But I bet you know all of this. I wrote all of it in my journals."

Emma shivered and felt an uncomfortable pain in her stomach. She knew what was happening to her, she had read about it and attempted to feel this with many of her 'companions' but they were all failed attempts. Now, it didn't take Regina much to make her heart rapidly beat in her chest, her cheeks blush brightly and her body to feel hot and bothered.

"But that is not all you read, right?" Regina smiled cheekily. "In fact, I remember writing about other things in those journals. _Private_ things." she emphasized on the word.

Emma held her breath. Regina knew what she read and she was not going to let it go until she confessed. Still, the blonde was stubborn and was not going to let the older woman win this little tête-à-tête.

Regina smirked when she felt Emma's stretch her back and control her breathing. This was too easy and it charmed the brunette to know how much the younger woman wanted her. She would have probably been upset had someone else been the one that read her journal, but it was Emma and the woman had already won her heart. Besides, she knew almost everything about her so, what did it matter that she also learned about her sexual adventures.

"I am not mad at you for reading them." Regina continued. "In fact, I am curious about which one you liked most."

"Regina!" Emma shrieked and the older woman cackled.

"Do not be a prude Emma Swan: Besides, you were the one that read my journals." she smiled brightly but let the subject go. They had to discuss more important things. "Anyway, you were telling me about your godmother."

"Yes, I was." Emma fake glared at her. "She distanced herself from my mother after the war ended and has stayed in the castle with her grandmother because she is despised and seen as a traitor by the remaining magical beings. She knows that the only reason her grandmother and her are alive is because of their relationship to Snow White. Besides, not all the people that were close to Snow White survived."

"What do you mean not all of them?"

"Blue got killed the moment the war began." Emma whispered. "Since she was the leader of the fairies she led a group of magical beings against the royal armies and lost. Although I know that Blue was a shady fairy and had her own hidden agenda, to me she was completely wonderful: She taught me about Fate, about its power and how they could change things. She taught me the wonders of magic and how magic was all around us. I was heartbroken when I found out that she had been killed by my mother's army. Not only that, but most of the dwarves also perished during the war. At first they were being spared by Snow White because of her relationship with the Seven Dwarves. But when some of them decided to join the rebellion and fight against the White Kingdom, Snow White punished all of them by taking their magic away and making them work in the castle as slaves."

"That is horrible." Regina said complete shocked. One thing was to see Snow White employ thieves. Another one was to learn that she backstabbed the same people that had helped her recover her crown. "That does not sound at all like the Snow White I knew."

"Because she changed." Emma said dejectedly. "I remember a mother that excitedly taught me how to hunt and follow trails in the forest with my father behind us. From one day to another, the riding and archery lessons became politics of the realm and etiquette education. She was so carefree during her first years in power, but something happened to her that made her become a cold and calculating woman. I don't understand it."

"Power can corrupt all individuals, even the ones with the purest heart." Regina told the blonde while grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "I am afraid that it is the curse of every ruler to lose its humanity once they gain control of all."

"Then why not have something else?

"Then all with have power and total chaos will occur. The problem with having power is that in order to control it best one has to share it with others, create limitations that stop you from abusing it. Councils are there in order to be the voice of the people, the voice of reason between royalty and peasants. A balanced council with strong-minded leaders can create stable and powerful kingdoms. The worst people that one can put in a council are the ones that only care about themselves and their riches. These people will do nothing to protect the most needed ones. Instead, they will think of their individual interests and try to pass them as common ailments."

"And that is what happened with the White Kingdom." Emma murmured darkly. "We need to earn it back and make things right Regina."

Regina nodded in agreement. Still, they were at a disadvantage because Emma was not close enough to her mother or the daily events that happened inside the castle. They needed someone who could tell them information about the White Queen and her castle. They needed a person that had been right next to Snow White after the war ended and still remained at her side. They needed Red Riding Hood.

 **At the White Kingdom**

Red was quickly making her way around the halls of the White castle. She had just come back from another trip around the forests and still no sight of her goddaughter. It was so frustrating to see no one truly cared about her or if she was well. In fact, she had tried to leave her pride and resentment aside and talk to Snow about the situation only to hear her seduce her husband so he would leave things just as they were. Disgusted by all of it and by her old friend's actions, she angrily went to Granny's room and punched the wall until her hands bled. She had told the older woman everything that she heard Snow say and how little she cared about the blonde girl. She couldn't understand why Snow was so desperate to marry her off to a man who everyone knew spent his nights at a bar drinking himself to oblivion and hiding his face inside women's skirts. She would never make Emma come back here if that was the man her mother was forcing the young woman to marry. In fact, the reason she had been leaving the castle so much was because she wanted to make sure that Emma was alright. The rumors spreading around the village about her being with the Evil Queen didn't do anything to appease the wolf-woman. Although it had been shocking to know that the woman had spared Emma's life and protected her from the White's guard, she still felt that something was amiss. Not only that, but the fact that the woman was alive when she had seen her dead, cold body lie on a hay of fire certainly terrified her. Granny had told her to be careful with her journeys to the forest since many Dark Army and magical beings were surely making their way to the Dark Kingdom since the Evil Queen promised to be there in a week. The royal council of the White Kingdom was at an uproar by the huge mass movement that this summoning caused, and Snow White had not been shy about showing the consequences of subordination. In fact, a public execution had been stopped by two men that changed into their Dark guards armor and had decided to charge the executioner. Barely making it alive, the two men and the freed prisoners entered the forest and Red decided to hide them in her shelter until they recovered. Snow White meanwhile had been on a murderous rampage, screaming orders at her captains and demanding updates about her daughter's position. Nevertheless, the Evil Queen was good at evading known routes or tracking devices thanks to her magic, which only managed to infuriate the White Queen even more.

It was with these thoughts that Red found herself in one of the hidden corridors of the Summer Palace. She smiled sadly at the memory of Emma discovering it while playing hide and seek with her. The girl had a talent for finding places like this and it only made the brunette miss her goddaughter even further. She was actually moving out of the hiding spot when she heard voices approaching. Deciding to stay behind the wall, she saw through a hole that it was Snow White and one of the royal advisors who were making their way towards the dungeons.

"So he is back?" she heard Snow White ask the man. "Did she kill the others?"

"She didn't." the man replied to her. "They were all injured and knocked out but other than that completely fine."

"Too bad." Snow muttered. "She would have done me a favor by getting rid of these men."

Red silently moved behind the hidden wall, keeping her steps as short as possible and taking the necessary air so she would not make any kind of noise. It disturbed her so much to hear the woman who had refused to kill Regina so many times speak of soldiers and followers in such a despicable and non-caring way.

"Has he spoken to anyone else?" Snow asked the man.

"No, we got notified the moment he appeared in a purple cloud."

"Good. I don't want people from knowing that he faced the Evil Queen and lost. It would only cause panic."

"But he will surely speak the moment we let him go your Majesty. You know how these men of the forest are and how tongue loose they can get after a couple of drinks."

"Which is why I don't plan on letting him go."

"Of course your Majesty." the man said while opening the door for her and entering the dungeon.

Red saw that they walked to the bottom of the cells, not taking one glance around them. Thankfully Emma and her had discovered that the hidden path allowed them to enter the dungeons too, strange as that sounds. Emma had explained to her that it was a way in which soldiers could learn about the prisoners' weaknesses while they believed that they were alone. A smart but terrifying technique.

"Mr. Robin Hood." Snow said mockingly. "It seems that your army was defeated."

"She had magic." he explained while coughing. "Powerful magic your Majesty. And your daughter also fought next to her."

Red jumped at the mention of Emma. It seems that the Evil Queen and her were truly as close as the villagers were whispering.

"No daughter of mine would consciously betray me in such a way." Snow spat angrily.

"I thought so too, and after we were defeated by them, the Evil Queen decided to send us back so we could give a message to you."

"And what was this message?"

"She told me to tell you that she will see you on the battlefield and that next time you should make sure of sending someone that does not go against your orders."

"Against my orders in what way?" Snow cautiously asked.

"I did what you told me to do your Majesty: I went to kill the Evil Queen but when your daughter got in the way and injured my men I had to do something about it: I had to make her pay the price for such insubordination." Robin said while puffing his chest.

Red froze in fear. Emma had been attacked by these men and she could be injured.

"What do you mean by this?" Snow asked coldly.

"I told my men to kill her the moment she showed allegiance towards the Evil Queen." he then huffed in anger. "But the Evil Queen protected her."

Red exhaled, completely relieved at knowing that her goddaughter was alright.

"My orders were to kill the Evil Queen and bring my daughter back." Snow said darkly. "And here you are telling me that you tried to kill her? Luckily for you, your group of men are so incompetent that you failed at your task. I need my daughter alive so she can marry Prince Killian and here you go trying to kill her." the Queen then looked towards the man standing next to her and smirked. "My, my, what should I do in face of this direct disobedience?"

"Disobedience?!" Robin yelled. "I was doing my duty as a member of your Elite Army.

"One that you obviously failed. In fact, it's quite disappointing to see that my stepmother spared all of your lives. She probably did this in order to annoy me." she turned around and smiled darkly. "It appears that we have to fix this small mistake."

"Indeed." the man retorted while getting closer to the cell.

"Wait, what are you doing?!" Robin screamed. "Get away from me. Queen Snow!"

"Don't 'Queen Snow' me." she huffed in annoyance. "We cannot let you or your men talk about what happened. You see, it would cause panic in the kingdom and we must certainly avoid this. Think of this as part of your duty: You will keep the peace and order in the kingdom."

"Please don't! I have a wife and a child!" the man started crying.

"Then good thing that I will not try to kill them just as you tried to kill my daughter!" she screamed and with one motion the man in royal clothes tore the man's heart out of his chest.

Red barely managed to hold the scream that almost came out of her. She saw in complete fear how with a flicker of his wrist, darkness poured from the man's finger to the already dark heart of Robin Hood. With a loud gasp that meant that the organ was inside the thieve, the two royals smirked at the man.

"Now, the moment we leave this room you will see that your cell with be left open and a knife will be in your hand. With this knife you will kill your fellow Merrymen and yourself. Do you understand?" Snow told him and the man nodded.

"Good, then our business here is done." Snow smiled and took the royal man's hand, not even glancing back when they closed the door.

Red finally moved the moment they left, her heart maniacally beating on her chest, trying to deny what she just saw happen. Nevertheless, the moment she heard screams coming from the cells she realized that it was all real. Not wanting to see the massacre, Red ran out of the dungeons and tried to head away from this damned hallway. She didn't know what to do, but one thing was clear: The Snow White she knew many years ago was gone and there was no way they could reason with this one. She had to find Emma and keep her away from this damned place. Not only had Snow just told members of her army to kill each other, but she was in the company of a magic being. Snow had told her that no magic wielders survived and yet there they were, the two royals whispering and kissing each other. Wait, KISSING? Red stopped her pace for the second time that night and saw in complete shock how the White Queen was humping and moaning without shame. _This cannot be true,_ Red felt tears fall from her eyes. _This cannot be Snow White,_ she whispered to herself and refused to see any more. Ever since the two women met, Red had seen her friend fall in love with Prince Charming and fight for said love. The two of them even shared True Love, the most powerful magic of all. _Or shared,_ the wolf-woman told herself after remembering the way her friend had used sex to subdue her husband into submission.

The moment Red arrived to her room she quickly grabbed a bag and took some of her clothes so she could place them inside. She continued moving around the room, taking potions and weapons that she had kept from the Sorcerers' Wars. She couldn't spend another day in this castle, and unless she wanted to be the next one on her ex friend's list of murdered allies, she had to take Granny and run far away from there. The plan was clear; find Emma and hide until all of this passed. No one in the magical community trusted her or her Granny, and she had no ties with the Dark Kingdom that could help her enter it and peacefully live there if Regina's rebellion was successful.

"Child, what are you doing packing so many things?" she heard Granny ask her from behind.

"We have to leave the palace." she told the older woman and showed her the other bag she had been making for her. "It's dangerous for us to be here."

"What are you talking about Red?"

"I just saw Snow White kill Robin Hood." she whispered loudly and looked around expecting someone to barge in.

"That's impossible dear." Granny tried to calm her. "Perhaps you had too much to drink?"

"No Granny! Damn it, she sent the Merrymen to the forest so they could get intel about the Evil Queen and her powers. What they found out was that her magic is strong and that Emma is with her. Helping her!"

"The girls must obviously be under a spell." Granny said.

"I don't think so Granny." Red murmured. "Knowing Emma, she is quite capable of allying herself with her mother's mortal enemy so she can earn safe passage around the Enchanted Forest. Besides, that way she doesn't have to come back and get married."

"That does sound like the Emma we know." Granny smiled softly and took her crossbow from under the bed. "But if you are so sure about this then I will trust you."

"Thank you Granny." she said and continued to pack.

Half an hour later, the two women covertly moved around the castle, hiding away from the guards that were on patrol. They had agreed on not telling anyone about their departure so the moment anyone noticed their absence they would not be sure of how many days it had been since the two left the palace. They almost got caught three times when the guards heard their footsteps, but thankfully they assumed that it came from their fellow men and ignored it. The moment the two women saw the gate of the castle, they exhaled in relief, and after they were safely inside the forest, they relaxed their pace and took a resting walk.

"So, what is your plan child?" Granny asked her.

"We will find Emma." Red said determined. "And depending on what we find, we will either join her or force her to leave with us. After that I am not sure."

"I think child that it's time we make amends with our people." Granny murmured. "It's time we pay for our betrayal. I haven't been able to think about something else since we accepted Snow White's deal and remained hidden in her caste."

"I know." Red looked down in embarrassment. "So are you saying then that you want to fight for the Evil Queen?"

"I want to fight for the person that is willing enough to rise against the White Kingdom." Granny said determinedly and Red nodded in agreement.

They had to find Emma and Regina and they had to find them fast.

* * *

 **P.S: Yes, I am awful towards Snow White and the rest of the Charming family hehehe. But you have to admit that it does make for a more interesting Snow White :)**


	9. Discoveries

**Author's note:** This story has earned so many followers in such a small amount of time! I am so happy that you're all enjoying it and thank you for your support. Some of you have left me amazing reviews and those are the ones that make me want to keep thinking of new twists and turns for this story. I want to surprise you and not leave everything be obvious. I hope that I can keep hearing what you think of the story and again thank you. No Beta, so all mistakes are mine.

* * *

When the two women entered the next village, Emma grew weary and concerned. The last time they were almost caught by the royal guards, and based on the way the villagers were moving and behaving, this place was no exception to their presence. Last night they had been talking about their past, remembering the scare but still good times that they had. What they noticed was that the two of them were usually happiest while being on top of a horse, jumping obstacles and making it run as fast as possible. Smirking at the thought of how similar they were, Emma had gotten closer to Regina and had taken her hand, brushing it softly against her own. The gesture, in return, earned her an adoring smile and soulful brown eyes stare lovingly at her.

(Flashback to the previous night)

 _"With each thing that I learn about you I find myself falling more for you." Emma confessed after gaining some courage._

 _Regina looked up in surprise at the blonde's words but still gave her a radiant smile. "Falling more?" she teased. "And since when have you been 'falling'?"_

 _"Since the moment I almost killed you with my horse." Emma answered honestly._

 _Regina laughed loudly and turned her body so it would be aligned with the young woman's. Smirking at the way Emma closed her eyes, she teased her by moving her lips close enough so at the moment she spoke they would lightly touch the blonde's ones._

 _"Well, you are not alone in this endeavor."_

 _Emma opened her eyes. "Really?"_

 _Regina stopped her teasing and joking around when she saw how serious Emma was. How her eyes were shining with hope and desperation to also be deeply wanted and loved. She knew that look because she had that same look when she was in love with Daniel and had wanted him to say it back. Or when she thought that she was in love with him. The reason she said thought was because while her feelings for Daniel were still there, they are nothing in comparison to the ones she was currently having for Emma. These ones were deeper, stronger and more passionate than the fleeting ones she once had for the stable boy. It scared her and yet excited her to know how much she wanted Emma: Emotionally, mentally and physically. Each time the two kissed she felt her body tingling in excitement, her hands becoming bolder and her legs twitching in anticipation._

 _Yet, she was not sure if Emma was ready to make their relationship become that way. She knew that the woman desired her, she could see it in the way her gaze landed on her and how her green eyes darkened when she saw the older woman staring back. But she was scared of revealing that side of her, the one that Emma had read about in her journals, for you see, once she killed the King she decided to enjoy her freedom in all aspects, sex being one of them. She was not ashamed of this part of her past, and during her time as Queen she took many lovers, male and female, and explored her sexuality in all kinds of ways: Most of the times she dominated her partner, while in other instances she allowed another to be in control. She used magic to enhance sensations and create fantastic physical settings or she merely fucked wherever she wanted. Sometimes she craved love and tenderness while other times she just wanted to inflict the same pain that she had been put through by Leopold (and most of the time her partners enjoyed that pain). But one thing that they all had in common was that they had all disposable, usually after just one night, and then she moved on to the next person that intrigued her._

 _That is, of course, until her life changed and she met Emma: She wanted to satisfy the woman, claim her and own her just as she wanted Emma to do those same things to her. But the difference was that Regina loved Emma, yes loved because she could finally admit it. She wanted to show Emma how much she loved her and in her books, having sex in the middle of the forest was not a good way to do so. She wanted Emma to feel special and unique, recognized as an exceptional individual and a wonderful human being. In order to do so, Regina wanted to romance Emma with physical gestures that showed her appreciation and it annoyed her to think of this because it made her remember that they were in the middle of planning a coup d'état._

 _"Oh Emma..." Regina answered while taking the blonde's hand and placing it in her chest. "Since the moment I met you I felt that my life was not going to be the same. You make me feel so many things that it takes all of my self-control to not grab you right now and ravage you as you deserve."_

 _Emma moaned and got closer to Regina who closed her eyes. "Then why don't you?" she whispered hotly. "I'm not stopping you. In fact, I want you to. God Regina, I want you so much." she gasped when she felt the brunette's lips land on top of hers._

 _"Emma..." Regina moaned, and after she had no air left she laid her head back so the blonde could have more access. "Oh God..."_

 _Emma's brain was on overload. After Regina's confession she had felt her body tingle in desperation, bringing to her mind memories of the many entries she had read from Regina's journal. In fact, after the two women had talked about the book it had been hard for Emma to stop thinking of the brunette in such a sexual way. She had completely forgotten about them after she first read them when she was 15 years old. Not only had they opened up a whole new world for her, but they had set her expectations about arousal and desire so high that no one, until Regina, had been able to appease them. If she was going to be honest about her desires, then she was also going to be honest about the fact that she was not a virgin. Although the matter had never been questioned by her parents because she knew how to hide her night rendezvous' very well, she was no child when it came to relationships. Still, the need to keep her romances a secret never arose because she usually ended things before they even started. In fact, she finished them when she noticed that her expectations were not met or when the encounter had just been uncomfortable: Tutors, some workers from the castle, some of the noblemen sons and from time to time the maid that dressed her, Emma had not been shy about experimenting and exploring her sexuality and desires._

 _But now that she was kissing and grinding her body against the woman that had plagued her mind and thoughts, ever since the moment she first read about her, she could only imagine being with her in the same way that previous lovers had been lucky enough to be in. She was jealous of them and at the same time she was desperate to be in the same situation; so she could show this woman that she was better than them and that no one else could compare because Regina was hers._

 _Groaning, Emma felt a surge of energy come from her chest and she closed her eyes in excitement at the warmth and arousal that this sudden wave of energy created within her. From far away she could hear Regina gasp in wonderment and then everything became completely dark._

 _When she finally opened her eyes Emma found herself in a dark room filled with candles and animal skins strategically set on the floor. She looked around, hoping to identify where she was but the setting was unfamiliar. Moving around she saw a closet and a huge mirror on the other side of the wall. Getting closer to it, Emma noticed that it showed her dressed with a red dress and plumped lips. She usually didn't like to wear the dresses her mother chose for her, but this one was exquisite: It was provocative and yet elegant enough to be used in a ball. Turning around so she could look at every angle of it, she saw that the back was a low cut and it showed her strong shoulders and arms. Smiling in content, she decided to sit on the empty bed and wait for whatever happened. Luckily for her, she didn't have to wait long because the doors opened and a marvelously dressed Regina entered the room, her gaze immediately landing on the blonde. Brown eyes became completely dark, and after licking her lips, the brunette ran towards Emma and kissed her roughly. Groaning because of the contact, it took Emma a few minutes to wonder how the two had landed in such a place, and why this place seemed so familiar to her._

 _Closing her eyes and enjoying the way Regina was possessively holding her, Emma decided to momentarily let go of all things and stood up from the bed. She brought the older woman along with her, strong thighs wrapping themselves around her waist. Moaning from the way Regina's core was landing on her stomach and the obvious arousing signs coating her dress, Emma moved quickly and went to the mirror and pushed the brunette so she would crash right in front of it._

 _"Oh Emmaaaa..." Regina groaned and pushed against the blonde._

 _"God I want you so much..." Emma murmured and attacked the brunette's neck, not caring too much about leaving marks on her neck and rest of her body._

 _Hands were freely moving around the brunette's blue dress, Emma smiling against plump lips when she noticed that the back of Regina was easily accessible thanks to the low cut of the dress' back . Using her nails to leave soft marks, she heard the older woman's surprised gasp at the action. It was obvious that Regina enjoyed to be marked, and based on the almost black eyes that were hungrily going down her body, the Queen wanted to see more of her. A flick of her wrist and Emma was naked, her hair set loose and Regina openly taking it all in. Smirking when she saw how much she was affecting the older woman, Emma huskily approached her and pushed her to the bed, making her land on her back. She immediately sat on her stomach and smiled when Regina closed her eyes at the sensation of being topped. Emma lowered herself so she could land on the cold floor, and bending her knees, she used her hands to push the end of the Queen's dress up. Luckily, because the texture of the dress automatically made it cling to the older woman's body, it was easy for Emma to simply move it up and keep it away from her prize. Licking her lips in wonderment, she saw that Regina was not wearing anything under the dress and she smiled when the Queen raised her head and stared deeply at her._

 _The moment the two women's eyes finally made direct contact with each other, Emma could see Regina's dark gaze flicker away and instead surprised eyes look at their surroundings. The brunette, likewise, could see Emma's eyes focus on her and the situation they were in, as if suddenly awakening from a strange dream. When she took notice of where Emma was, Regina screeched and closed her legs in embarrassment, almost feeling sorry for the blonde's blushed face and labored breathing. Almost because this was her fault. And if this was her fault then it meant that Emma had magic._

 _"Regina?" Emma whispered and the brunette held a moan when she noticed how deep the younger woman's voice was._

 _It took all of her strength to turn off her arousal and to instead flick her wrist so they would appear back in the forest. Groaning at the feeling of returning back to her conscious state, she saw Emma also hold her head in pain._

 _"God, what the hell happened?" Emma groaned._

 _"Magic dear." Regina said while standing up. "Very powerful magic."_

 _"Well, why didn't you warn me? I mean, a little head's up next time when you want to take us on a trip." she then blushed. "Although it was a rather pleasurable one."_

 _Regina laughed loudly. "Oh darling, I was not the one that used magic. This time I was the victim of a magic spell. A memory sharing/placing one."_

 _"Memory sharing/placing? And if you didn't do it, then who was it?"_

 _"Indeed." she husked and approached the blonde woman who looked confused. "Before I tell you let me ask you something first: Were you thinking about my journal while we were kissing?"_

 _Emma blushed and looked down in embarrassment, refusing to answer the question._

 _Regina took this as confirmation. "And did you imagine yourself in the place of those ex lovers?"_

 _Emma then looked up, getting what Regina was trying to tell her._

 _"And you felt warmth rise from the inside of your body, even at some point feeling arousal from the sudden flow of energy."_

 _"I did." Emma whispered._

 _"Then my sweet Emma let me be the first one to tell you that you have magic."_

 _"I have magic?" Emma stuttered._

 _"Indeed you do, and very powerful one. The spell you just did, it took me years to master and still has me almost drained out of energy when I use it. You, on the other hand, seem to only have a headache."_

 _"But it's impossible, I mean my parents have no magic at all."_

 _"Your parents love is magic, hence it would seem logical that a child born out of True Love would possess that kind of magic."_

 _"The magic of True Love?"_

 _"Yes dear Emma. It is very pure and powerful. It took over my senses, and yours too because you have no idea of how to use your powers, and were it not for that moment when the two of us looked at each other, then the spell would have kept on going until its completion." she snorted the last part while blushing._

 _"God, Regina, I'm so sorry." Emma apologized while looking down. "Not that I'm sorry about what happened because God you have no idea how much I desire you, but that it happened that way."_

 _Regina knew the nerves her lover must have been feeling, and getting closer to her she grabbed her hands in reassurance. "Listen darling, there is no need for you to apologize because of many reasons: First, you had no idea of your magical abilities. Second, we did not do anything, as you can see we are still dressed. Third, what you did in fact do was access one of my memories and manipulate it so you would place yourself in it. Fourth, although you did so without permission, it was not done out of malice, as you may remember I enjoyed it immensely. Finally, I would never be able to get angry at you for wanting to show me how much you want me when I feel the exact same way." she hugged the blonde woman and felt her relax. "Still, you need to learn how to control this magic. I can help you if you want?" Regina murmured shyly._

 _"Of course I do! It would be an honor to have you as a teacher!"_

 _"Oh Emma!" Regina breathed in relief. "I promise to do my best to guide you in the correct path. I will not let you lose your light and goodness because of magic. I will not let it seduce you the same way it did me and I will always protect you from it."_

 _"I know." Emma said while cupping the brunette's cheek. "I trust you with my life, Regina Mills."_

 _Regina held a sob and kissed Emma soundly on the lips. God, she loved this woman so much that it hurt. The sole believer of her redemption path and willing enough to trust her with her life and her goodness. No matter what she was not going to disappoint or let her fall even if it meant paying the price with her own life. Still, there was something else on the air. Now that she had been able to get a glimpse of the blonde's magic, she felt another taking energy from the magical fluctuation. Separating from Emma's lips, she closed her eyes and tried to get any kind of signature that could help her identify to whom it belonged to._

 _"What's wrong Regina?" Emma asked, suddenly concerned by the brunette's position on the floor._

 _"Someone is using magic. Someone other than you or me." she added when she felt Emma get ready to ask her another question._

 _"Perhaps it's someone that just like me discovered that they have magic?" Emma suggested. It always happened from time to time and the royal guards quickly took care of the person._

 _"No, this magic is not raw like yours. This one has been trained because I can feel it acquiring only the necessary energy from the air." Regina whispered and focused on green eyes. "The person that is using this magic is an old magical being."_

 _"But that's impossible Regina. They were all killed during the Sorcerers' Wars."_

 _"Well, it seems that someone managed to escape because I am certain of what I just told you."_

 _"And can you not identify who the owner of the magic is?" Emma asked, looking around the area in case someone decided to jump them._

 _"I am afraid I cannot. If the user is too far away I will not be able to catch the essence of the magic but merely the action of them taking energy to perform the magic."_

 _"I still don't understand."_

 _"Imagine a well with water in it. All the people from the village take water from it and unless I am physically near the well, I will not be able to see who uses it. But, I will still know someone used it because the moment I come back to grab water I will find it emptier. It is the same with magic."_

 _"Ok, I think I get it now." Emma said concerned. "So should we be concerned by this?"_

 _"Well, just as I am able to feel the presence of this being, this being can also feel my own. I do not know if that being is aware of my return or of the fact that I still have my magic, but unless we want to be found again, we must prevent ourselves from using our magic."_

 _"But without magic we won't be able to create camp or get the things that we need to survive in the forest."_

 _"I am aware." Regina said and with a flick of her wrist a bag filled with coins appeared on her hand._

 _"Shit, did you just create money? Will I learn to do that?"_

 _Regina smiled. "First thing about magic: Magic is energy, and since energy cannot be created, magic cannot create things. What it can do is transform things, or in the case of this money, transport it from one of my many hidden vaults."_

 _"Cool." Emma grinned. "So I guess this means that we will have to stop at villages?"_

 _"Indeed." Regina muttered darkly. "Since your parents' guards are such brutes, with enough caution we will be able to blend in completely quite easily. We will limit ourselves to roam around as less as possible and will refrain from going to taverns or other places where guards are most likely to gather."_

 _Emma groaned at the idea of not being able to drink a beer but understood that Regina was right. They were close to the Dark Kingdom, and this was not the time to indulge in unnecessary dangers although they were fun and she knew Regina enjoyed them too._

(End of Flashback)

"Remember dear, no unnecessary exposure. I do not have the energy to again save you from the royal guards." Regina teased her and Emma laughed.

"Well..." she took an olive hand and kissed it. "Maybe I would stop trying to find people that want to kill us if you didn't have as much fun as I do when we fight."

"It is rather amusing to imagine your mother's face when we send her back beat-up guards." Regina smirked. "But this time we have to be careful. Did you find the stables so you could leave Bug there?" she let go of Emma's hand and saw her sad look. "I have no shame in being seen with you, but the guards are searching for us and although not unheard of, same-sex couples are rather uncommon. We do not want to earn the stare of people and in return gain the curiosity of the royal guards."

"I understand." Emma really did, but still couldn't stop herself from thinking that the brunette didn't want her the same way the blonde needed her. She had always been an insecure person when it came to emotions.

Regina noticed this and got closer to Emma. "Darling, I want you with me. I need you with me." she whispered vehemently. "Please believe me."

Emma nodded and felt a last warm kiss land on her ear and smiled softly. They only needed to make it through the night and everything would be fine: 2 more days and they would reach the safety that the Dark Forest could give them.

 **Somewhere in the Enchanted Forest,**

Red felt her body relax from the pressure and closed her eyes in an attempt to calm the pain that came every time she had to go through a transformation. Hearing a growl nearby, she saw that Granny was also on the floor, subtly covering herself so she would not scar her granddaughter. The two women had agreed on traveling the forest in wolf form, hoping that way to better catch Emma's smell and be protected from any creature that wanted to attack them. Lucky for them, they had been able to stay undetected and in course thanks to the fact that Red could recognize, although faint at some point, her goddaughter's signature smell of vanilla. Although at some points she could find it mixed with cinnamon, Red decided to ignore this fact and just trace the young woman and the Evil Queen. While they rested from their wolf form, Red had told Granny in detail what she had seen the day before. She had been a little skeptic at first, but when they had stopped at a nearby village for some weaponry for Granny's bow, they heard that the MerryMen were brutally killed by the Evil Queen. A curse apparently had been placed inside Robin Hood's heart and it had forced him to kill all of his men and finally finish his life. Disgusted by the lies Snow White was telling the kingdom, and concerned about what this could mean for Regina and her attempt to organize a coup, the two women knew that they had to hurry and make their way to the Dark Kingdom as fast as possible. They were growing wary of making appearances in their human forms, expecting royal guards to identify them and question them, or even worse, return them to the palace. They were not sure if Snow White found out about them leaving the castle, but they were not stupid and they didn't want to confirm or deny their suspicions.

"I don't think Snow White told her people that we left. It would do no good for her and for the villagers to find out that her war council is abandoning her." Granny told her.

"Yeah, but look at what he did to the Merrymen. She could simply say that the Evil Queen placed a spell on us that forced us to betray her. Or she could say that we got recruited by the rebellion and were acting as spies during this whole time." Red shrugged in surrender. "Whatever the case, we lose in all the scenarios."

"We have no one to help us Red." Granny murmured. "And based on what you told me, Snow White has a wizard working for her. He could easily find us with a tracking spell. And if we are with Emma then we will just lead them straight to her."

"Don't you think I already went over those scenarios?" Red exclaimed. "I have no fucking idea of what Snow could do because I don't know her anymore. I don't think she wants anyone to know that she has a person with magic on her royal court. Because of that, I think she will refrain from using his abilities in such a public matter. It is different to suddenly say you found the location of the princess than to use magic to take a heart out in an abandoned dungeon. The other kingdoms would consider it treason and will surely attack her."

"I guess you are right." Granny huffed.

"We need to shift back into our wolf so we can continue tracking Emma." Red said while taking her cape off.

"But didn't you smell it Red? The trail continues towards the outside of the forest. That's where I went before coming back here. For some reason Emma and the Evil Queen decided to leave the forest and go into the village."

"Are they crazy?!" Red shrieked. "They willingly entered a town filled with Royal guards! I bet this was all a part of Regina's plan: Make Emma trust her and lower her defenses, and when this happened simply dump her in a village and make her way towards the Dark Castle."

"Who knows." Granny said while hiding her bow. "But the smell is a day old, which means that they will surely leave soon."

"Then we better go and find Emma, and fast." Red huffed in anger and Granny merely followed, knowing better to just keep her thoughts to herself.

The moment Red entered the town she felt her body recoil, tense at the sensations that were coming from the air: She could smell blood and also magic inside the mix. Seeing that Granny had caught the same odor, the two women took their weapons out and ran towards the place where the screams were coming from. What they saw there left them completely speechless because it was something that they had never seen:

In the middle of a circle made of Royal guards stood the Evil Queen and Emma, the two of them looking for any kind of escape route or weakness in the human shield. Huffing in annoyance, Emma raised her hand and Red saw purple smoke cover it to only make way for a long and beautiful sword.

Meanwhile, Regina had been laying on the ground, her hands touching the dirty floor and muttering soft unintelligible words to herself. The moment she finished, she looked up at the men and instead of brown eyes they saw purple energy flooding through them. Recoiling in sudden fear at the image, when Regina crashed her hands to the floor all the men rose to the air, Emma immediately taking advantage of this situation and slashing one of the men's arm, a howl of pain indicating that she not missed. Smirking and winking at the brunette who simply shrugged unimpressed, Emma then went to the next man that was standing up from the ground and kicked him on his chest, the action making him land on a nearby cart. Now that there was a hole in the shield, Regina magically got herself a bow and arrows. After building a shield around her that would keep anyone from getting too close, she took aim and let go of the arrow, it immediately landing on a man's leg and rendering him unable to fight. Quickly, she took another arrow and fired it, again not missing the target.

"I didn't know you were capable of using a bow." Emma screamed to her from afar.

Regina turned around and saw the blonde in a hand to hand fight. When she saw the blonde land a punch on the man's face and then a kick to finish him off, the brunette answered her. "Who do you think taught Snow White?" she smirked and got a smashing smile in return.

Red had been speechless at the massacre that was happening in front of her. Each time a guard got too close to Emma, she saw how purple magic enveloped the man and held him immobile, giving the blonde enough time to notice the threat and do something about it. Obviously, Regina was protecting Emma and that made her question what was going on between the two women. Nevertheless, knowing better than the blonde how magic worked, Red saw that the shield that the witch had placed around herself for protection was getting weaker, and that at any moment it was going to fall, leaving her open to attacks.

When Emma heard one of the men scream at each other, she focused on what they were saying and could hear 'use an arrow now that her shield went down', she felt time freeze and she tried to get rid of the current guard with whom she was sparring. Not thinking about it, she stretched her hand and felt her magic pushing through, allowing her to capture the man in a plant trap. Not even caring about rendering him unconscious, she moved towards Regina and saw her distracted, keeping two men at bay with some swords that she must have probably magicked for herself. Not so far away, she felt a man prepare his arrow and take aim. She stretched her hand and wished for the man to fall back, but nothing happened. Tears falling from her eyes, she was too far away and she knew that she would not reach him in time.

"Regina no!" she screamed when she felt the man pull his arm backwards in preparation. Expecting to see him let the arrow go, what happened instead that a mass of red jumped on top of the man and swiftly kicked him in the head, rendering him unconscious.

Exhaling in relief, Emma quickly searched for her lover in the midst of all the chaos, and gratefully saw her getting rid of the second man that had been quarrelling with her. Running towards the stranger who had just saved Regina's life, she screamed when she saw who it was.

"Red!" she screamed and hugged the woman tightly. "What are you doing here?!"

"Emma!" Red said and kept her goddaughter close to her chest. "We came to find you." she said vehemently and again hugged the blonde.

"We?" Emma asked and saw Granny make her way towards Regina who had been surrounded by the remaining guards. When Regina made notice of the older woman's presence she merely nodded in recognition and continued to fight.

"I don't understand." Emma said confused while concentrating on getting a bow. When she saw white smoke make way for one she smiled happily.

"That's not Regina's magic." Red said while getting the bow of the man they had just knocked out and shooting some of the guards.

"Because it's not." Emma said and killed three men in quick succession. "It's mine Red."

"You have magic?" she said with complete awe.

"I just found out yesterday." Emma told her while getting closer to Regina and Granny. "And the moment we reach safety inside the forest will be the moment I tell you everything."

Red nodded in acceptance and continued shooting arrow behind arrow.

When Army guard men stopped coming, the four women relaxed and threw the weapons they had acquired on the floor. Regina, not caring about who saw her, ran towards Emma and enveloped her in a strong hold. She checked the blonde for any signs of injury, and when the young woman said that it tickled, she relaxed and stared angrily at her.

"Regina?" Emma asked, knowing she was in trouble.

"Are you out of your mind Emma?! How can you be so irresponsible?! I told you what we needed to do, and again, instead of listening to me you do what you want and endanger not only your life, but mine as well as the ones of the people that live in this village!" Regina screamed at her.

"I didn't mean to Regina..." Emma whispered and tried to get the brunette to look at her.

"You never mean to." the brunette said darkly. "But since the moment we met, you have thrown yourself at danger as if it was nothing. You just do it because of the fun, not caring about the consequences."

Meanwhile Red and Granny had been merely witnesses to the discussion that was going on between the two women. None of them dared to say anything.

"But it's not my fault that they attack us!" Emma screamed.

"Yes it is! And what this recklessness shows me is how little you care about my feelings." she whispered and this made the blonde grab the brunette's cheek firmly.

"Never say that Regina." Emma begged.

"How can I not say that when I have told you everything about my past, how scared I am of losing people I love and what losing you could do to me." she said firmly.

"People you love?" Emma whispered hopefully.

"Yes Emma, people I love. Because I cannot explain it, or understand how, but I do love you Emma Swan." she confessed while tears were falling from her eyes. "And every time I imagine losing you, it terrifies me. And..." she laughed. "Not only do I have to worry about my thoughts but also about your suicidal actions. Tell me, how can I trust you when all you do is put yourself in danger?"

"Regina, you can trust me. I will always protect you. I would give my life for you." she said and looked up to brown eyes. "Because I love you." she felt tears fall from her eyes. "So much."

"I do not want you to give your life in exchange for mine. I want you to be mindful of yours and what losing you could do to me!" she screamed. "I am not a stupid or naive woman, and I know that you will fight in the rebellion. But it is one thing to fight because one has to and another one completely different to do so because you are 'bored.'" she spat and made her way towards the forest.

Emma immediately tried to run towards her but got stopped by a speechless Red.

"No Red, I have to go to her. I have to explain." Emma begged.

"Explain what? That you did just what she accused you of doing?" Red said knowingly. "Because that sounds just like you."

"I don't know why I did it." Emma whispered and tears fell from her eyes. "I really didn't look to start a fight but one of the guards was being physical with a woman."

"And you couldn't let it go." Red whispered knowingly.

"He was going to rape her Red! I had to do something." Emma said vehemently. "Regina had gone to see a merchant in hope of getting us some herbs and I made my way towards the guard and kicked him. The thing is that the screams of the woman got the attention of the people and what they saw was me beating the guard. They immediately called the royal guards and that was the moment when Regina came out."

"But you enjoyed to place yourself in that position." Red still scolded her.

"I had to do something Red, I couldn't simply let that man rape that woman." Emma said dejectedly. "But you know me, I love to use my sword and fight. I can't help it because it's a part of me."

"Of course you had to save her." Red smiled warmly. "You have always had this tendency of wanting to save people."

"But Regina..." Emma whispered sadly.

"Regina is a complex woman that has lost a lot in life." Granny said and that was the moment the two women noticed her presence. "But child, what she said, about her loving you, was no lie."

"I know." Emma said dejectedly. "And I just ruined it all."

"I don't think so pup." Red told her lovingly. "She is just upset because she doesn't know the whole story."

"I have to talk to her now." Emma said desperately. "I can feel her pain inside my chest." she whimpered. "And I know she feels mine."

"When did it start?" Granny asked the young woman.

"It started right after we confessed each other our love for one another." she murmured.

"And do you know what that means?" Red asked Emma.

Emma shook her head.

"The connection of feelings and emotions comes from one of the oldest magic known in this realm." Red said while smiling softly.

"True Love." Emma whispered in awe. "Regina is my True Love." she smiled softly but then looked at the two older women and scrunched her nose. "And you are ok with this?"

"We are magical beings Emma." Granny said. "Do we like the Evil Queen? No, she hurt many people. But..." she raised her hand before the blonde could interrupt her. "Do we hate Regina? The answer is no. And, based on the way that woman allowed her own shield to fall down so you would be protected, I will assume that on this occasion we are talking about Regina."

"Besides." Red smiled warmly. "Who are we to challenge or question True Love?"

Emma felt tears fall from her eyes, and thankful for the support of the two women she had grown to love during her time in the White Palace, she held them close and thanked them for being with her.

"Now..." Red said while looking around and watching the villagers leave their houses. "I suggest we go to the forest and find Regina. We have much to tell you."

SQSQSQSQSQ

Regina was angrily pacing around the forest, tears falling from her face in frustration at Emma and herself. She hated the emotions that poured out of her chest every time the blonde did something. She felt weak at having stormed out in such a way or of having admitted her feelings in front of Snow's pets. Not only did it hurt to know that Emma cared so little about herself, but that she felt that she did not wrong and refused to accept that she had to be more responsible. Just to imagine herself living without Emma was painful, and to then see Emma being surrounded by a battalion of White Guards was also terrifying. From an strategic point of view, it had surprised Regina when they noticed how many guards were stationed in the village, probably expecting to find the women and capture them. In fact, she expected more troops the closer they got to the Dark Castle. Although she had expected Snow to be more naive when it came to governing, it now seemed that she wasn't completely incompetent.

Regina stopped walking when she felt an unbearable pain in her chest, and painful because it was not physical but it came from her feelings being mixed with the ones of Emma. Closing her eyes and focusing on them, she could feel the regret that the blonde felt along with the need to explain what had happened. She realized then that she was in sync with Emma's emotions and feelings and this made her smile in wonderment. Could this be what she suspected it to be? Was it possible for her to finally experience this? Could it be possible that Emma White was her True Love? If she was, and based on what she had just experienced, then this was such an irony that it made the brunette laugh in relief.

"So this is what you meant when you told me to love again?" she asked Fate while happy tears fell from her eyes.

"Regina?!" she heard Emma scream and immediately ran towards her.

"Emma..." she said in relief and wonderment. "Did you..."

"Yes, I felt it too!" Emma screamed happily. "Oh my God Regina, it feels wonderful. Your heart and feelings are an amazing thing to feel." she said in complete awe and cupped the brunette's cheeks. "I am sorry." she whispered while looking down.

"I know." Regina replied while accepting the blonde's caress. "I am sorry too."

"I just had to do something Regina. That guard, he was going to rape a woman and I had to stop him." Emma said vehemently.

"I understand." she smiled sadly. "And that is why I love you so much: Because you are a savior."

"You still love me?" Emma whispered happily.

"With all my damaged heart and broken soul." Regina said back and took the blonde in her arms and kissed her.

Emma moaned when she felt a white light come out of her chest and opened her eyes to see Regina staring at the two of them in complete fascination. She laughed when Regina started laughing too and continued kissing the brunette.

"What does that white light mean?"

"That white light is magic Emma." Regina said happily. "It is good magic and it comes from True Love."

"And it came from you too." Emma smiled and hugged the brunette. "Which means that not all of your magic is dark. You have light magic too because True Love is the purest kind of magic."

Regina looked at her, clearly surprised and Emma shrugged. "I do listen to what you have to say." the two women laughed again and continued kissing each other, moans coming from the two of them.

"Well, this is awkward." Red muttered and this made the two kissing women separate from each other.

Emma looked down in embarrassment and Red could see that Regina was blushing brightly.

"Thank you." she murmured and this earned her the surprised looks of Red and Granny. "For saving Emma and hence myself."

The two women nodded in acceptance and then Red approached the witch.

"I know what I saw." she told her. "And although it is hard for me to see because I only knew you as the Evil Queen, I cannot question Fate and the path it has made for the two of you."

"Thank you." Regina whispered. "I will protect Emma with my life, that I promise you."

"I know." Red smiled warmly. "You love her."

"With everything I have." Regina surprised herself by being so open to Snow's friend but felt that it was the right thing to say.

"Again, hurt this little girl and you will find three arrows in your head." Granny threatened Regina.

"Granny!" Emma said while putting herself in front of the brunette.

"If I do anything that does hurt her I will fire those arrows myself." Regina said and got a small smile from the older woman.

"Good." Emma replied, still not separating from Regina. "Not that we are not thankful, or that I'm not glad to see you, but what the hell are you doing here? Did my mother send you?" she whispered darkly and took Regina's hand, silently letting the woman know that she was ready if they needed to transport.

"No." Red said darkly. "In fact, we left the palace because of her."

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, upset at her mother for forcing her oldest friends to leave.

"We had to. We had to find you and warn you." she looked at Emma and then at Regina. "Your mother wants you alive so she can marry you off to Prince Killian."

"We know that already. In fact, my mother sent us a present in the form of the Merrymen not too long ago."

"They are dead." Red whispered and this earned her the surprised looks of Emma and Regina. "By the hands of the Evil Queen."

"That's impossible!" Emma screamed. "Regina sent them back to the dungeons. I was there and saw them all alive."

"I know." Red replied.

"Then why did you just say that Regina killed them when you know she didn't?"

"Because that is what Snow White told the kingdom."

"Of course she did." Regina whispered darkly. "I have to give her merit, she is not as stupid as I believed her to be."

"What do you mean?" Granny was the one that asked.

"She knew that I would send at least one of her men back, alive. She expected it because she knew that I would use the situation to mock her. By doing so, she would have someone to tell her about my current powers. I bet she did not expect me to return her whole army."

"Are you saying that my mother was the one that killed the Merrymen?" Emma asked in complete shock.

"And she is right." Red whispered. "I was there and I saw it all."

"How did she do it in such a secretive way? If she had employed her other guards she would have lost the support of the peasants." Regina asked.

"She had a man with her, he is a member of the royal court, and he took Robin Hood's heart."

Emma's face fell, knowing exactly how it could have been possible for the man to achieve this. Regina had been right: someone had avoided death during the Sorcerers' Wars and was currently being used by her mother.

"She then placed a curse on the heart that forced Robin Hood to kill all of the Merrymen and then himself. After this, she blamed Regina for the crime."

"And since I used to take out hearts it was not hard for the people to assume that it was me." Regina finished and Red nodded.

"That's not all." Red said.

"What else can you tell us that would make things worse?!" Emma screamed. "You just basically told us that my mother suddenly became a cold heart murderer, a criminal mastermind and war strategist."

"Perhaps that the wizard that she is currently using to do dark biddings is also her lover could make things worse?" Granny simply said and got a scold from Red and the shocked looks of Regina and Emma.

"But... but my parents have True Love." Emma whispered dejectedly.

"Are you certain of this?" Regina asked while putting herself behind the blonde and hugging her tightly.

"If by certain you mean watching the two of them kiss and hump each other in a hidden hallway after they told a man to kill his men and then himself, then yes, I am certain." Red said darkly and Regina felt Emma's dead weight fall on her arms.


	10. Faint of Heart

**Author's Note:** Yay for a new chapter! The amount of followers this story has is crazy! Thank you so much for your support and reading it! Although shorter than the other chapters, I believe this one will answer some questions you may have about the wizard and what happened to dear Snow White. Kudos and enjoy! :) (No Beta, so all mistakes are mine, and the moment I get more of the story uploaded I will read and foolproof it again. Or, if any of you want to be a Beta for it then do PM me :)

* * *

 **The Previous Night At the White Kingdom**

When Snow White got told by one of her guards that Manohara was summoning her to the prisoners' hallway, she immediately assumed that her stepmother had fallen into her trap and brought back to the dungeons one messenger. It was a matter of urgency for her to know what they were facing, and based on the rumors that some of her guards were whispering, the Queen grew concerned about the meaning of the sudden acts of benevolence (like refusing to kill one of her battalions and instead leaving them near the Palace's gates). Was she doing it so she could gain the support of the people? Or was she doing it to create confusion between them? Anyway, the group of soldiers were a liability, as she had found out after they were released, since rumors about the Evil Queen started to spread around the villages. In fact, the main reason that made her want to release these men was to cause fear and hesitation in her villagers. That way, her stepmother's unpopularity and dark ways would be remembered.

Nevertheless, before being called by Manohara, Snow got told that peasants were migrating from the White Kingdom and heading to the Dark Castle, hoping to be a part of Regina's rebellion. Her guards even captured some of them under the grounds of treason towards the crown, but arresting them sent a message that confirmed the rumors about the Evil Queen. Not only did it tell her people that she was aware of her stepmother's plans to lead a civil war against her, but it also confirmed that she was doing it with no other person than the White Princess herself. Snow was slightly worried about Emma's involvement, reality just being that she wanted her back because it was getting more tedious to stop Prince Killian from leaving the White Kingdom. The only reason he and his advisors chose the White Kingdom first was because they had benefited from Regina losing the throne (since she had eliminated trade with the Underwater Kingdom when she chose to favor the Atlantis Kingdom) and an alliance with the White's would be seen as a token of their appreciation. Although wealthier and with better products than Prince Killian's kingdom, the Atlantis Kingdom was ruled by mermen, magical beings that had a fin instead of legs. Because of the Sorcerers' Wars, the mermen were led to extinction and the fishermen that had previously been in competition with them took ownership of their lands and named it the Underwater Kingdom.

It wasn't lost on Snow White that in order to make human habitation underwater possible, Prince Killian's kingdom had employed magic. Their excuse was that the magic was cast before the end of the war and that since then there has been no use of it in their kingdom. Nevertheless, her main problem was stopping the royal Prince from finding out that her daughter was running around the forest following the Evil Queen, who was becoming more dangerous with each passing day. She had to stop the news of her survival from reaching the other kingdoms since it would also be considered an act of treason from their part (and she still had not forgotten about the fact that someone did betray them 18 years ago). She had an idea of who it could have been, but alas the Blue Fairy was dead and there was no way for her to confirm her suspicions.

Going around the rooms, she saw Manohara already waiting for her near the entrance of the prisoners' hallway. Smiling softly at him she started to walk, expecting him to follow.

"Your Majesty." Manohara told her while kissing her hand.

"Manohara" Snow replied while smirking at the man who had been staring at her breasts without shame. "I assume there was a reason for you to summon me at this ungodly hour?"

"Indeed there is." he said while opening a door for her. "It appears that your plan worked out just as the way you said it would."

"So he is back?" Snow smiled to herself when the man nodded. "Did she kill the others?"

"She didn't." Manohara replied and Snow stopped death in her tracks, surprised by those unwanted news. "They were all injured and knocked out, but other than that completely fine."

Snow tried to hide her anger and stop herself from screaming in exasperation. What did this woman want from her now? And why was she acting so unlike herself by forgiving guards and even returning them to her castle?

"Too bad." she muttered in annoyance. "She would have done me a favor by getting rid of these men." she said, already thinking of a way to make this situation work for her advantage. She had a plan already and, unlike last time, she was not going to do the same mistake she did.

"Has he spoken to anyone else?"

"No, we got notified the moment he appeared in a purple cloud." Manohara answered her while smiling darkly.

"Good. I don't want people from knowing that he faced the Evil Queen and lost. It would only cause panic."

"But he will surely speak the moment we let him go your Majesty. You know how these men are and how tongue loose they can get after a couple of drinks." the man told her with a knowing smirk.

"Which is why I don't plan on letting him go." she simply said.

"Of course your Majesty." he teased her and opened the doors that led to the dungeons.

It was disgusting to see the people that were inside this part of the castle. Snow always evaded it, leaving all of official documentation to Manohara. In fact, the only cell she found tolerable was the one of the Dark One and that was because it was magically built: Odor and human feces were eliminated and she sometimes regretted making the wizard's stay in there too comfortable.

"Mr. Robin Hood." Snow said mockingly once they reached his cell. All of the men were beaten up and some even had some cuts and injuries that would make them unable to yield a sword forever. Still, that wasn't good enough for her. "It seems that your army was defeated."

"She had magic." he explained while coughing. "Powerful magic your Majesty. And your daughter also fought next to her."

"No daughter of mine would consciously betray me in such a way." Snow spat angrily at the man, refusing to believe what she somehow already knew.

"I thought so too, and after we were defeated by them, the Evil Queen decided to send us back so we could give a message to you." Robin said while standing up and approaching her.

"And what was this message?" she asked.

"She told me to tell you that she will see you on the battlefield and that next time you should make sure of sending someone that does not go against your orders."

"Against my orders in what way?" Snow asked him intrigued. He had done something more than what she ordered him. Good thing she planned on getting rid of him.

"I did what you told me to do your Majesty: I went to kill the Evil Queen but when your daughter got in the way and injured my men I had to do something about it: I had to make her pay the price for such insubordination." Robin said while puffing his chest.

"What do you mean by this?" Snow asked coldly, fearing that her daughter had been injured during this fight. An injured princess would never get the attention of Prince Killian and all would be lost.

"I told my men to kill her the moment she showed allegiance towards the Evil Queen." he then huffed in anger. "But the Evil Queen protected her."

"My orders were to kill the Evil Queen and bring my daughter back." Snow whispered. "And here you are telling me that you tried to kill her? Luckily for you, your group of men are so incompetent that you failed at your task. I need my daughter alive so she can marry Prince Killian and here you go trying to kill her." the Queen then looked towards the man standing next to her and smirked. "My, my, what should I do in face of this direct disobedience?"

"Disobedience?!" Robin yelled. "I was doing my duty as a member of your Elite Army."

"One that you obviously failed. In fact, it's quite disappointing to see that my stepmother spared all of your lives. She probably did this in order to annoy me." she turned around and smiled darkly. "It appears that we have to fix this small mistake."

"Indeed." Manohara said while getting closer to the cell.

"Wait, what are you doing?!" Robin screamed. "Get away from me. Queen Snow!"

"Don't 'Queen Snow' me." she huffed in annoyance. "We cannot let you or your men talk about what happened. You see, it would cause panic in the kingdom and we must certainly avoid this. So you see, what you will do is your duty as a member of my army: You will keep the peace and order in the kingdom."

"Please don't! I have a wife and a child!" the man started crying.

"Then good thing that I will not try to kill them just as you tried to kill my daughter!" she screamed and with one motion the man in royal clothes tore the man's heart out of his chest.

Snow saw in complete delight how with a flicker of his wrist, darkness poured from Manohara's finger to the already dark heart of Robin Hood. With a loud gasp that meant that the organ was inside the thieve again, the two royals smirked at the man.

"Now, the moment we leave this room you will see that your cell with be left open and a knife will be in your hand. With this knife you will kill your fellow Merrymen and yourself. Do you understand?" Snow told him and the man nodded.

"Good, then our business here is done." Snow smiled and took the royal man's hand, not even glancing back when they closed the door.

The moment she left the dungeons she felt she could finally breathe. It actually made her feel better to know that the man and his group of forest thieves had been dealt with, and in such a way that she could put the blame on her stepmother for the crime. Now being thankful for her strange merciful behavior, she turned around and saw that Manohara was following her closely, also quite happy with being able to use magic. The two of them had met during the Sorcerers' Wars, and for some strange reason she had just felt intrigued by him and his presence. Although a magical being himself, he was the one that convinced her to join the other kingdoms during the war. In fact, before his arrival she had been feeling quite conflicted because her kingdom was the one that had the largest populations of these beings, along with the fact that most of them were closely involved with her. It had been sudden, the change inside of her, and how that guilt towards them just disappeared when she met the man.

(Beginning of Flashback)

 _"Your Majesty." the man kneeled before her and she suspiciously looked at him._

 _"What are you doing here?" she angrily told him while covering herself and moving towards the door. "And where are my guards?!"_

 _"I'm afraid that they will be out of commission for a while." he absently pointed to the left and Snow saw the men in a deep slumber._

 _"Well, I don't know what you plan to do with this, but if you think that you will get something from me then you are clearly mistaken. I would rather die than help you."_

 _"And that's your problem." he made a chair appear with a movement from his hand and sat in it. "You can choose other people to die for you and yet you don't do so. You're a Queen now, Snow White, you should start acting like one instead of having this tedious hero's complex that you and your husband seem to share." he finished sarcastically._

 _"I will not listen to any more of this." she grabbed a sword and charged, missing the man when he disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke._

 _"Do not be so hasty." the man chuckled and looked at her. "I came because I have found a solution for your dilemma."_

 _"I have no dilemma."_

 _"Of course you do." he smiled. "You are hesitating about joining the other kingdoms on the war against magical beings."_

 _"No one should know about this war, it hasn't even started yet." she tried to see the face of the man, tried to find any recognizable trait._

 _"I have my ways." he stood up. "And as I told you, a solution."_

 _"You will tell me to not join." Snow spat sarcastically._

 _"On the contrary, I insist you do." he laughed. "You see, if you don't, then your kingdom, along with the rest of magical beings, will be destroyed. The land your dynasty built, and the one you recovered from the Evil Queen, will be redistributed between the victors and no one will remember the heroic actions of the White Kingdom."_

 _"I cannot do that to my people! They were the ones that helped me recover the throne, they have been by my side during this whole time."_

 _"And if you keep them by your side they will be the ones that lead you and your family to the grave." he gave her a knowingly smile. "And isn't Princess Emma's birthday coming soon? It would be a shame that she were not alive to celebrate it."_

 _"You bastard!" Snow screamed at him while trying to hit him with the sword. "Do not talk about my daughter!"_

 _"I'm merely telling you the facts that no person inside your council is brave enough to mention. And the reason they are not the ones giving you this talk is because..."_

 _"Because they are all magical beings." Snow finished for him while looking down. "You are trying to manipulate me."_

 _"Yes, I am." he answered honestly. "But by doing so I am helping you and myself." he winked at her._

 _"I would have to kill you too." she tried to scare him. "Every person that possesses magic has to be automatically executed."_

 _"Well, that is of course, if you tell them that I have magic." he winked at her. "Your guards captured me a few hours ago. I will not make them forget that if you don't want me to." he promised. "But I think you will want them to not remember this evening."_

 _"You, a person that I don't know and is most probably manipulating and using me, are telling me to go against the advice that my friends are giving me and kill an entire population!" Snow screamed and threw the sword to the ground in surrender. "Tell me why I should do this."_

 _"For Emma." he simply answered. "So she doesn't have to live the life you lived. So she can grow up with her mother and father in a castle, so she doesn't have to worry about evil stepmothers poisoning her father and trying at every instance to kill her. She would never have to kill another human being for survival, her heart would never be tainted with the guilt of sacrificing the needs of others so she can be good. Without magic there is no way for her to be manipulated by it."_

 _"You know about that?" Snow murmured. "You know about what we did?"_

 _"More reasons to get involved in this war. Revenge will not come knocking at your door, it will throw down Emma's. A child for a child." he whispered darkly and Snow's heart sank in fear._

 _"If I do this." Snow looked down in embarrassment at her own weakness but felt that this was the only way to keep her family safe. To have everything they deserved and finally get their happy ending. "No one will ever forgive me."_

 _"You don't need anyone's approval. Whoever made you feel that you were flawed or unworthy, you need to take that pain, the fear they were right, and use it as a root of your power. A power that will give you freedom." the man told her and Snow looked up with tears in her eyes._

 _"Is this the part where we make a deal?"_

 _"I believe so, your Majesty." the man stood up and approached the trembling woman._

 _Snow saw him determinedly get close to her, and although she wanted to move away, refuse his advances, she felt her feet stuck on the ground. Looking up, she saw brown eyes stare deeply at her, and after looking down in an attempt to avoid the temptation of closing the distance between the two of them, she felt a finger move her head up._

 _"Now..." the man whispered. "It's all up to you, your Majesty." the man whispered while looking at her lips and licking his own._

 _Snow White whimpered at the action, and after closing her eyes she groaned in surrender and moved forward, clashing her lips with his and that way sealing away their deal. Unbeknownst to her, magic moved around them, encircling the two and softly but surely entering her already tainted heart. This, apparently, had been the final act that the darkness needed so it could make way inside of her. For you see, before this action, the mistakes of Snow White were done in blissful ignorance, a fact that did not made them forgivable but still gave her hope of rectifying them. But right now, while kissing this man and giving up to the easy path that he was offering her, and willingly doing so, she had cemented in her own heart a black patch that would only grow further and further._

 _Snow finished the kiss, and after taking a look at herself and the man that was calmly seated at the chair he appeared for himself, she went back to gather her sword._

 _"Make sure to clean this mess you created, Manohara." the White Queen finished and left the room._

(End of Flashback)

"Where did you just go?" Manohara asked while grabbing her hand and kissing it softly.

"I was remembering the day we met." Snow answered honestly.

"You have come a long way from there. Now you are a True Queen."

"Indeed I am." Snow said proudly and her gaze fell on the man's crotch. "And what you just did in there, the way you used your magic, has left me quite excited." she murmured while roughly pushing him against the wall. "Did you do as I asked you to do days earlier?"

"If by that you mean move your troops from nearby villages and send them to the ones that are near the Dark Castle, then yes I have." he smirked at her and openly gazed at her. "If it excites you so then you should allow me to do it more often."

"You know why I can't." she murmured while kissing his neck. "No one can know that you have magic."

"I know." he laughed and grabbed her face. "But that doesn't mean that I can't use it with you now." he finished and crashed his lips with her, the tenderness around them becoming warmer because of the magic.

Groaning, she separated from him and held him roughly, feeling his growing erection. "Now, you will take us to your room and you will finish this." she panted.

"Your wish is my command, your Majesty." he smirked, and with a movement of his wrist the two of them disappeared in a purple cloud.

 **Currently Somewhere in The Enchanted Forest**

"Am I dead?" Emma asked when she opened her eyes and saw soulful brown eyes stare deeply at her.

She heard someone chuckle.

"What could possibly make you believe that?" that voice that she loved so much whispered to her.

"Because the first thing I saw and heard was you." she smiled at the older woman. "The woman I love and owner of my heart."

"She is such a charmer." this time she identified Red jokingly say. "And they say that chivalry is dead."

Regina blushed softly at the blonde's compliments and gave her a reassuring kiss. "Well dear, I am afraid we are not quite done yet with our earthly matters: We still have to head towards the Dark Castle and lead a rebellion against your parents' kingdom."

"Then why did we stop to take a nap?" Emma asked while trying to get up, only to be stopped by Regina.

"We didn't stop." Granny said. "You threw a Sleeping Beauty on us."

"A what?"

"You know, fainting out of nowhere..." Red further explained.

"I don't faint." Emma looked down in embarrassment. "I never faint." she mostly said to Regina who smiled condescendingly.

"I believe you did this time." she murmured.

"Were it not for her being stuck to you like glue then you would have probably hit your head." Granny said and the two women blushed.

"I am not stuck to her like glue." now Regina said while blushing.

"Yeah you are." Emma said and got Regina's famous stare. "But that's not the point." she immediately added. "The point is that I would never faint."

"You always seem to have a hard time at remembering previous events when you wake up." Regina muttered.

"Oh, she does this all the time." Red agreed. "Emma is officially non-functional until she has eaten something."

"Can someone please tell me what I'm not remembering?!" she screamed and got the attention of the two brunettes, who looked at each other.

"Oh for the love of all deities." Granny huffed in annoyance. "How hard is it to tell the girl that she fainted because she just learned that her mother is a political monster that is cheating on her True Love with a wizard?"

"My mother is what?" Emma murmured while looking at Regina for confirmation, who merely nodded.

"Because of that!" Red said angrily. "We were thinking of the best way to give her the news so she wouldn't go into another panic attack!"

"The girl kills men as if she was preparing for tea time." Granny murmured while getting her crossbow.

"I believe that for Emma it is harder to accept that the only stable relationship she has seen during her whole life is not as stable as she believed it to be." Red said back in anger.

"Panic attack?" Emma said completely panicked and distracted from the discussion. "Why would I have that?"

"Emma." Regina ignored the two bickering women and took hold of the young woman's shoulders. "I need you to concentrate on my voice."

"But... Regina, I'm so confused. It's simply not possible, my parents, they, they love each other." Emma whispered dejectedly and it broke the brunette's heart.

"Some times that is not enough." Regina smiled sadly. "I will be honest with you because I made you a promise that said that I would not hide anything from you." she continued and Emma nodded in understanding. "Do I honestly care about your parents' current situation? No I do not. Do I care about how this situation affects you? With my whole being. Am I concerned about your parents' situation? Very much so. Will I help you find out what happened? Yes I will. Will I help you fix it? Yes I will because I would do anything for you."

"Oh Gina." Emma whispered and hugged the older woman tightly.

"Gina?" the brunette asked while smiling softly.

"Regina is too long right now." Emma murmured and hugged the brunette tighter. "I love you."

"And I love you." Regina said back and kissed her softly on the lips.

"Yeah, still not used to seeing the Evil Queen be all mushy and loving." Red said from the back and Regina groaned in annoyance.

"Remind me why I have not gotten rid of them?"

"Because they helped?" Emma teased. "And because they still have plenty of explaining to do." she said seriously and stood up.

"So panic attack averted?" Granny asked.

"No thanks to you." Emma joked. "You have no touch at all old woman."

"We have no time for bullshit." she said while smiling sadly. "We have stayed here for far too long."

"I agree." Regina said. "And I cannot use my magic to put a protective barrier around us because the wizard may be able to detect it."

"The wizard that is now with my mother." Emma said sadly and the three older women looked at each other.

"Emma..." Regina started but the blonde raised her hand.

"You told me that you were worried about my parents' situation." Emma said. "Can you tell me why?"

"I would also like to know that." Red added.

"You already know because I already told you." Regina smiled softly. "True Love is magic. In fact, it is the most..."

"Powerful magic of all." Emma finished for her.

"That magic should not have been able to be broken." Regina muttered. "Not with the two people that have it still alive."

"Then what can this mean?" Granny was the one that asked.

"Well, it can mean many things."

"Perhaps I am not a child of True Love." Emma said dejectedly.

"That is definitely not a possibility. We have seen your magic and it is as white as they come." Regina said determinedly." No, it can mean that a curse is involved."

"A curse?"

"You said that your mother started to grow cold and unattached from you." Regina reminded her. "A curse could make a person believe that they cannot love."

"But even with the curse, it should have been able to broken because of True Love's kiss. The fact that this didn't work further proves that they no longer love each other." Red told the witch.

"Not necessarily." Regina told them while mostly focusing on Emma's reactions. "If a heart does not believe it can feel love then how can it feel True Love?"

"She does have a point." Emma whispered dejectedly.

"Well, we do know that this started way before Regina came back from the death." Granny said. "So it's not like we can blame her."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence." Regina said sarcastically.

"I know Regina, and even in her darkest moment she would have never used something that would make my mother forget about her True Love: It would have been too easy of an escape." Emma simply explained and the three older women looked at her.

"It's scary how calmly she talks about these things." Red whispered to Regina who nodded.

"Sometimes I wonder how much she can take." she whispered. "I am scared that one day something will finally make her realize and see the monster I was." she confessed.

"If I know anything about monsters, and trust me, I know." she winked at the witch. "It is that sometimes life may take you through a path that forces you to be someone you are truly not. Then, if life offers you a chance at redemption, and you decide to take it and live it, then the monster you were is simply gone." Red smiled warmly at her. "I can see it in your eyes Regina: They are a window to your soul and right now the only thing I see is love and devotion towards my goddaughter."

"She makes me not regret my past." Regina laughed softly. "Can you imagine how much I must love her that I know that if asked to do the same horrible things I did, with the knowledge that at the end I would be with her, I would them again in a heartbeat?"

Red smiled knowingly and squeezed the brunette's hand. "I do because I know that if it were Peter and me the ones in your situation, then yes I would do it, what you did, as long as I could end up with him."

"Well, don't." Granny interrupted the two women who just noticed that they had an audience. "Because I want to be able to someday live peacefully."

"Noted." Red smirked and gave Emma and Regina some space when she saw the tears in the blonde's eyes.

"Did you really mean all of that?" the blonde asked her softly. "Even with knowing that you lost your chance at being happy with Daniel?"

Regina smiled sadly and nodded. "I do not know what my future would have been like with him because Fate did not plan that path for me. We could have been happy or we could have realized that we were not meant to be. Each day with you makes me realize that although I loved him, that love was nothing in comparison to the one I now feel for you."

"Our True Love." Emma looked down. "One that could be easily broken just like my parents'."

"Is that why you are so afraid of learning what happened to your parents dear? Because you are afraid it may happen to us?"

"I cannot imagine my life without you." Emma confessed softly. "I had it all planned, every adventure that I wanted to take and every place I wanted to see. Now the only thing I see is you." she murmured. "And I don't want to lose this feeling of completeness that I have."

"You will not." Regina promised her. "We will never lose this connection we share."

"But you just told us that True Love is considered the most powerful magic of all."

"And yet it can easily be tricked if one knows the correct spell." Regina said. "Besides, the person responsible for breaking your parents' True Love is not a mere mortal. That fact is no coincidence at all. Somehow he managed to convince your mother about his value."

"You know what the most upsetting thing is?" Emma said angrily. "I cannot remember his face at all. Like I would know who he is if you put him in front of me but if I want to recollect how he looks like then I just can't."

"Red." Regina normally said. "I know you can listen to us, and did you experience the same thing Emma just told me?"

"Yeah." Red said, surprised at not having realized this sooner. "It's the weirdest thing ever."

"Not if you know about magic spells. He is using a concealment spell. It makes a person forget about any physical traits that could help them explain how the person looks like while allowing the wizard to keep an unique, recognizable identity."

"And let me guess, it's very advanced magic."

"Very." Regina agreed. "Not many could do it. The only people that I can think off are my mother, who is dead, the Dark One, Maleficent and myself."

"I saw Maleficent's body." Red told Regina. "I saw her body burn."

"But you also saw mine and yet here I am." the brunette muttered.

"Could she be capable of pulling something like this?" Granny asked.

"Create a curse that could eliminate True Love? I do not think so." Regina shrugged. "The years and knowledge of magic a curse like that would take are tremendous. "

"You suspect it was the Dark One then." Emma told her lover.

"Some reasons make me suspect of him, others do not. For example, he always works with deals and reveals his identity to others. To hide himself is unlike him. Second, he uses others to do his dirty work, never getting directly involved." Regina said angrily. "But at the same time, he is the only person powerful enough to create a curse such as this. And, your parents did stop him from going to the magicless realm by stopping me from casting his curse."

"Enough motives to want revenge."

"And no one knows what happened to him." Red said excitedly.

"Knowing this does not help us." Regina huffed in anger. "In fact, I am more concerned about having to face a manipulated and controlled by Rumplestiltskin Snow White than facing just an upset Snow White. One is more dangerous than the other."

"I agree with her." Granny gave her input.

"But if she is being controlled then that also gives us hope that we can save her." Emma said excitedly. Perhaps that's the reason why she couldn't love me. She didn't have a heart."

"Perhaps sweetheart, but do not get your hopes up. I know the Dark One, and he is a manipulative imp that takes joy in corrupting people. It would have been just too easy for him to take her heart and order her around. No, he would have preferred the long game where he transforms and molds his apprentices into becoming what he wants them to be."

"And how would you know that? Granny asked. "Is it so hard for you to believe that Snow White is not being herself."

"On the contrary, it is obvious that she is not being her usual self-sacrificing self." she snorted sarcastically. "And I know because that is what he did with my mother and then me."

"So summary of what we just discussed." Emma interrupted the two women from starting a discussion. "The Dark One being in control of my mother is bad news."

"That is a way of oversimplifying it." Regina muttered.

"I know, so bear with me." Emma huffed. "The way he could have done this was by using a curse or by taking her heart out. Although that last scenario is the least possible one." she added to appease her lover. "What we can do to fix this?"

"Until I have Snow White in front of me then I cannot know with certainty what we can do for her." Regina told the blonde woman. "And based on how she is playing this game, the only place we will see her is the battlefield."

"I agree with Regina." Red told them. "And although it hurts me to say this because Snow is my best friend, we have more important things to worry about, like getting to the Dark Castle so we can meet with the people that are heading there."

"I did promise them that we would be there in five days." Regina told the group.

"Then that gives you two more days to reach your castle." Granny huffed in annoyance. "Barely enough time if we take into consideration that Snow moved all of her troops to the villages that are near the Dark Castle."

"So annoying that darkness makes Snow White become a good war strategist." Regina remarked and Emma could not stop herself from laughing.

"You just can't let her have one, can you?"

"Well dear, when she was a child she was so self-centered that she refused to pay attention during her tutoring classes. Forgive me for being surprised that with a little bit of darkness all those lessons came into light."

This time Red and Granny also laughed with Emma.

"Little Snow White must have been quite the terror then."

"Indeed she was."

"And yet you never killed her, even when you had the chance to do so while she was a child." Red said.

"I would have never done so. A child's life, no matter how much hatred I felt for said child, has always been sacred to me."

"Noted." Granny said. "I think it's time I mention that I smelled some White guards not too far away from here?"

"Shit Granny!" Emma shrieked while getting their stuff. "And when were you planning on telling us this?"

"I just did, didn't I?"

"Smartass." Red huffed in annoyance.

"Let's just move." Emma groaned and took her lover's hand, softly blushing when she got a wink from Red and a 'I know what you're doing' look from Granny. "We will fix this right? We will make things right?"

Regina looked at the young woman and saw her hopeful expression. She decided right there and then that she would try and do her best for Emma, even if it meant saving the life of the woman she had spent half of her existence trying to get rid off. "For you Emma, I would do anything you asked." she said and got a dashing smile in return.

 _Totally worth it._

* * *

 **P.S:** So I hope this chapter helped clarify some things, and maybe make some of you know who the mysterious man is (I'm surprised some haven't figured it out because I left some clues in previous chapters hahaha) But alas, maybe it's for the best so that when our characters find out you will react the same way they will probably react. Btw, Regina agrees to save Snow White just because she loves Emma (and I guess that's what being in love means, putting the person you love needs before your own).


	11. Matters of the Heart

**Author's Note:** Yay for new chapter! We are nearing the moment our heroines reach the Dark Castle and many of the questions asked by you will be getting some answers soon! And I agree with some of you: curses are so overrated ;)

* * *

 **In the White Kingdom**

King Charming was going room through room in search of his wife: It had been days and still no news or sightings of his daughter. Growing desperate at the lack of progress, he had decided to just go search for her himself with a small group of guards. Nevertheless, when he went to talk to the captain he got told that there were simply not enough guards at the palace. Not understanding why they would need to have most of their army outside the castle, when he got told that all of this was done in the name of the Queen he immediately left. He needed to find Snow and demand an explanation from her when it came to the sudden need to keep more guards ready for battle: They were safe and no kingdom could attack them unless they wanted to break the treaty signed at the end of the Sorcerers' Wars. So, based on all of that, there was no one left in the realm that would want to hurt his family: He had taken care of that many years ago. When he finally arrived to the throne room he saw that the doors were closed and two guards were preventing anyone from entering.

"What is going on?" he demanded and the guards looked at each other.

"Forgive us, your Majesty, but we are not at liberty to discuss this with you." one of them whispered bravely.

"Are you aware who you are addressing right now?" he bellowed. "I am the King and I demand you to open the doors of this room."

"But..." the other said while trying to appease the angry royal.

"Now move!" he took his sword out and the men decided to just let him pass.

The moment Charming opened the doors he saw that the Royal Council and his wife were in the middle of a meeting. Surprised looks went towards him, and although Snow tried to look unnerved, he could see how upset she was at his presence in the room.

"Your Majesty." one of the men said while standing up, the rest following. "We thought you were ill."

"Ill?" he asked surprised.

"Indeed he was, but it is so wonderful to see you are all better now." Snow answered for him while motioning for his husband to sit down.

"What the hell is this?" Charming whispered at his wife who merely shrugged.

"Do not avoid me Snow." he said angrily. "Something is going on and it seems that everyone except me knows what."

"This is a recent development." Snow muttered.

"And does it have something to do with the fact that most of our army is roaming around the kingdom?"

"Indeed." his wife told him softly. "I didn't want to tell you until we received confirmation of our suspicions."

"Suspicions?" Charming asked, getting on edge thanks to Snow's empty answers.

"It seems that the Evil Queen is back." she said. "And she is currently making her way to the Dark Castle where she plans to lead a rebellion against us."

"But..." Charming muttered. "But that's impossible! We saw her body Snow! We saw her body burn."

"It seems that it was not her body for she is now getting closer to the Dark Castle." she whispered back angrily.

"No one will support her. Everyone knows how she ruled the land and what she did to you."

"I thought so too but soldiers keep telling us that people are making their way towards the Dark Castle as we speak. It seems that they are incentivized of giving her another chance thanks to the presence of another royal who seems to have her back." she said angrily.

"Could it be King Frederick and Queen Abigail? Abigail was rather close to Regina when she was Queen." Charming asked.

"It's Emma." she whispered.

"Emma?!" he screamed and got the attention of the council men. "Emma is with her?! How do you know this? I'm sure this is all a big mistake! I mean, we haven't even seen her and now they are claiming that she is allying herself with the Evil Queen?!"

"Yesterday I sent the Merrymen to gather intel and if possible capture the Evil Queen. They were defeated, and when she returned them to us they were able to tell us that Emma was with her and fighting alongside her."

"She allowed them to live?" Charmin asked surprised.

"We were just as surprised as you were." Snow muttered. "But as it usually is with my stepmother, she had a plan, and before returning the men, she cursed them. Not knowing about this curse, they were left in the cells until they recovered. Today we found out that Robin Hood killed all of his men and then ended his life."

"What?" Charming froze in shock.

"Which is why we finally summoned the council." Snow finished and stood up to get the attention of the men.

"It's obvious that the Evil Queen is back with the sole purpose of reclaiming the throne. We will not let her get it. We cannot let the White dynasty perish. Anyone that claims support to the Evil Queen will be executed."

Charming looked at his wife and flinched at the harshness of her tone: They were now talking about murdering unarmed villagers. And even their daughter based on the information recollected by the former Merrymen.

"But Emma..." Charming begged his wife. "She is with her."

"I know." she looked at his husband. "But our daughter, just like any other citizen of this kingdom, is committing treason against the crown and shall be treated and prosecuted to the extent of the law."

"I know we can make her desist from this Snow." he stood up and went towards her wife, kneeling in front of her so she could see him. "I know that if I talk to her then she will come back home."

"I don't want her to come back home." Snow said darkly. "I want her to promise that she will marry Prince Killian. Get her to promise this and she will be forgiven."

"Snow!" Charming said, shocked by the way the woman was talking about Emma as if she meant nothing to her at all. "She is our daughter!"

"No daughter of mine would betray me and ally herself with the woman that tried to kill me during half of my life." she said darkly and again looked at the council men who were silently watching the scene. "If the other kingdoms find out about the Evil Queen then they will say that we broke the treaty signed during the Sorcerers' Wars. Were this to happen, we would have to face their retaliation and I'm sure you're all aware that our kingdom would not be able to take such an attack."

"Then what are you suggesting us to do, your Majesty?" one of the men asked.

"We will send our forces to the Dark Castle and eliminate this rebellion. But this time we will finish it once and for all by killing the Evil Queen."

"But the people we would be killing are the people of _your_ kingdom your majesty." a brave man said. "We already lost half of our population during the Sorcerers' Wars, to lose more people now would make our economy collapse."

Snow angrily looked at him. "So are you suggesting then that we keep traitors in our land?"

"I'm suggesting you to not kill these traitors." he responded.

"I agree with the councilman." Manohara spoke for the first time. "I think we should wait until the Evil Queen arrives to the castle. That way, we will have time to organize ourselves and see what she intends to do. Meanwhile," he then looks at Charming and smirks. "that should give the King enough time to talk to the Princess and convince her of returning home. With the extra support that would come from the Underwater Kingdom after the marriage is celebrated, the battle, if there is one, would go smoothly for us."

The councilmen looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Snow looked at Manohara, somewhat confused by his actions because they had discussed something completely different the previous night and now he was sending her husband to the clutches of the Evil Queen: Instead of one royal of the White Kingdom she would now have two. But, Charming being away would let her plan things better and have no distractions or obligations of explaining her behavior or decisions. And, it also showed that they loved their daughter to the extent of facing the Evil Queen in a diplomatic way. She had to give it to Manohara; he certainly knew how to work with what he was given.

"Ok." Snow nodded and looked at Charming who was still kneeling on the floor. _Pathetic._

"You will go find our daughter and you will try to convince her of marrying Prince Killian. The moment you have her answer you will come back and report to me. And while you are there, do see what she has hidden under her sleeve. We need to take advantage of Emma being so close to her."

Charming, sickened by his wife's behavior, merely nodded and stood up. He was too shocked and tired to attempt something else. Besides, he got what he wanted and that was time to find Emma. What he would do after that? He had no idea.

SQSQSQSQSQ

Rumplestiltskin was quietly sitting on the dusty ground of his magic cell. It had been weeks since the White Queen visited him, and the news he got from the outside world were mere whispers that the guards exchanged between one another. For some reason, his power of sight was not working, the future being completely dark and devoid of any images that could give him some leverage under the royals that had somehow managed to capture him. Well, manage because he had wanted to be captured by them. Nevertheless, his plan backfired when they stopped Regina from casting the curse and without any kind of escape plan, he was a mere spectator of the new chain of events that got created when the Evil Queen fell. There was a spell inside the book he lost to Cora that would have helped him escape, and he had been so close to getting that book that for a moment he had tasted the flavor of freedom. Still, it seemed that Fate had other plans for him and him being free were not one of them. He smirked in annoyance and closed his eyes. Was he really surprised that Fate was keeping him from influencing their timeline? Not really. In fact, he was shocked that they did such a good job in keeping him locked up and forgotten by the people that had been previously terrified of him.

His meditations were suddenly interrupted when one of the guards rudely hit his sword to the edges of the cell.

"Rumplestiltskin you have a visitor." the man said and left when a person with a cape entered the room.

Rumplestiltskin merely smirked, quickly getting closer to the cell and sniffing the person. Confused by the scent, he did so again, and for a while he merely waited for him to unveil his identity. Still, when the person took its cape off, his eyes almost bulged out of his face and his smirk disappeared completely."

"It can't be." he said for the second time since the curse failed to be cast. "You were dead."

 **Somewhere in the Enchanted Forest**

"I had forgotten how magnificent creatures wolves are." Regina said while watching the two wolves move around the forest, smelling for any sight that they had been followed.

"That's right." Emma smiled softly. "You had werewolves in your army."

"They were very ferocious and loyal soldiers." she acknowledged while sitting down and quickly preparing a fire for them.

"I have a question." Emma said while sitting down next to the brunette and immediately getting an encouraging smile in return. "About your army."

"Anything you ask I shall answer." Regina appeased her.

"I read in your journal about a special ritual that the best of your soldiers went through, one that gave them supernatural powers in exchange for their loyalty."

Regina's smile disappeared, it being immediately replaced by seriousness and contempt. "Indeed. Very few soldiers were able to qualify for it, and even fewer to survive it."

"What was it about?"

"Contenders had to go through a magical test, Emma: A very painful and excruciating one. The very few soldiers who survived it were in my Elite Army and immediately formed part of my council. The test was created to measure loyalty towards me, strength and capability of doing unspeakable things in the name of the Queen. As you can imagine, the ultimate act of loyalty was to leave their humanity in my hands for me to decide what to do with it."

"They willingly gave you their hearts." Emma said shocked and Regina nodded.

"It was the ultimate trust act, and as such I returned the gesture with one of my own: Every soldier that passed my test was given my favor. The favor of a mortal royal is not as binding as the one made by a magical being. In our case Emma, when we give our favor, we give a magical part of ourselves to the person that receives it. So you see, the supernatural powers that they acquired came from the magic that got passed from my essence to theirs. After the binding ceremony was done, their hearts were returned to them and they had the choice of putting them back inside their chest or keep it safe in a magically protected vault."

"Why would they decide to keep it away from them?" Emma asked shocked.

"When you are a soldier having a heart is a liability." she said sadly. "And these men that swore loyalty to me were completely dedicated to the army. They knew that they would die fighting and that they would live for nothing else than fighting. It was their life." Regina then smiled sadly at Emma and took her hand, softly pushing it to her chest. "But they were also aware that were they to lose their life with their hearts in their chest, my own would suffer the repercussions for the essence of my magic comes from my heart."

"What do you mean by suffer?" Emma whispered.

"Not death." she promised the blonde who exhaled, obviously relieved. "But the pain would have been tremendous. It would have felt like losing a piece of my heart. Literally."

"Why would you put yourself through that kind of pain for a soldier?" Emma asked, completely shocked.

"Because to me they were not just soldiers." she pointed at Red and Granny who were still running in their wolf form. "To me, these men were the closest thing I had to a family. Just like Red and Granny do with you, they protected me and risked their life so that I could have a chance at getting mine back. The very few that were members of my Elite Army were considered royalty in my Kingdom. By giving them a part of my magic I was giving them their best chance of survival in the field."

Emma nodded in understanding. "How many were there?"

"Five." Regina smirked at Emma's surprised face. "Trust me dear, the five of them could easily take an army of 100 men and kill them all without a scratch on their armor."

"Have you seen any of them since your return?"

"Yes." she then smiled knowingly at her. "In fact, you met him when you saved him from some Royal guards."

"Anthony!" Emma shrieked and Regina laughed warmly. "That's why he was so good at swordfighting."

Regina nodded. "The other four I do not know where they are, but since I have not felt anything since I returned, I think it is safe to assume that they are alive and well."

"Would you ask them to join the fight? They would be a great asset."

"I will not force anyone to join me on my crazy attempt at getting the White Kingdom back." she said softly. "This time I want people to fight for me because they want to and not because I tell them to. I want them to know that I reward loyalty and that I am a just ruler."

"And they will." Emma smiled warmly at the witch and gave her a sounding kiss. "I know they will see how wonderful you are."

"If you keep kissing her like that then what they will see is her being all lovey-dovey." Granny huffed while sitting in one of the empty spaces around the fireplace.

Regina blushed and looked down in embarrassment.

"Come on Granny, give them a break: They're in love."

"They're also the designated leaders of a rebellion that plans to go against all the kingdoms of the realm." the old woman said.

"You do not have to remind me that." Regina said while closing her eyes. "The repercussions we could all have, were we to fail, would be tremendous."

"We would be killed." Emma merely shrugged and got the surprised looks of the three older women.

"Exactly Emma." Regina said exasperated, some of her fears and thoughts making way. "You just started to live your life. Red, Granny and me, we have lived and we have seen things."

"So?" Emma asked. "Are you saying that I'm immature enough to be fighting?"

"Not at all dear." Regina whispered. "I am saying that I feel like I am taking your life away from you when you have not even started truly living it."

"What I choose to do with my life is my decision." Emma said firmly to the three women. "And, that life that you keep telling me I could live is not one I want to be a part of. You..." she looked at Red. "You know what will happen the moment I go back to the White Kingdom: My mother will sell me to the Underwater Kingdom and I will be the slave of a man that I don't know."

Red looked down. She knew that Emma was right.

"And you..." she pointed at Regina. "You promised me that you wouldn't risk your life for mine. You said that we would fight together because we wanted to be free to love and be who we wanted to be. Are you going back on that promise?"

"I just cannot lose you Emma." Regina said defeated.

"So it's better to know that I am unhappy with a person that I don't love than dying with my True Love?"

"You would be alive!" Regina screamed.

"I would be living an empty life. Is that what you truly want for me?"

"Of course not Emma! I want you to be happy."

"Then you will have to keep me around because you are my happy ending." the blonde said stubbornly and grabbed the older woman's face strongly. "We will do this together. You and me, forever." she emphasized by kissing Regina on the lips possessively. "I only want to be yours."

Regina groaned and kissed Emma back. She could feel herself agreeing to anything the blonde said, and although she had tried to be selfless, she decided that it didn't matter if Emma wanted to be with her. For the first time she would allow herself to be happy, no matter the amount of time that the two women may have left.

"And I am yours." she promised Emma while ending their kiss.

"Good, so it's settled then." she looked at the three women and got a confirmation nod from each one of them. "How far away are we from the Dark Castle."

"One day away." Red told them. "But on our way we smelled royal guards not too far away. Probably in the next village."

"And we cannot hide in the forest because the only path that directly leads towards the Dark Castle forces us to go through that town." Granny complained and looked at Regina.

"It was a security measure." Regina said while raising her hands. "I had no idea that it would backfire on me."

"Approximately how many men?"

"5 battalions, maybe 6." Red said. "It seem that Snow moved the ones that were in other towns and ordered them to wait for us here."

"Is there another way we can go through without facing them? Emma asked Regina who shrugged. "Can't we use magic to conceal our true selves?"

"We could." Regina said. "But the moment I do the spell the wizard that works with your mother will know where we are."

"And what about Emma's?" Red asked.

"He would know that someone is using magic but he would not know who." Regina said. "Still, the amount of energy this spell takes could make him be suspicious of the person using the magic."

"Then it's a good thing that my parents don't know that I have magic." Emma smiled.

"It is too risky. Besides, we still do not know if Emma can do the spell."

"Well, how hard can it be?" Granny asked.

"It took me 2 years to master it." Regina told the old woman.

"We don't have 2 years!" Emma said loudly.

"I know." the brunette replied tersely. "But it seems that your magic reacts to your deepest desires and merely enables you to make them a reality."

"I don't understand." Red asked for Emma.

"Emma does not need to know the spell if she truly wishes for something to happen. Her magic aids her in that way."

"Like that dream-sharing one?" Emma asked the witch while softly blushing.

"Yes. Perhaps the same can happen this time."

"Well, we can try." Granny said. "Worst case scenario we try to blend in and hope they don't see us."

"They are stupid but even I don't believe they are _that_ stupid." Red teased.

"I want to try." Emma told Regina who nodded earnestly.

"Close your eyes and think of the people you want us to look like." Regina coached Emma and saw the blonde following her orders. "Think with as much detail as you can, the way their eyes are, the shape of their nose, the color of their hair, their body texture, anything that can make the image clearer. But do not merely think that we are them, imagine us becoming them."

Emma closed her in concentration and tried to keep all of Regina's suggestions in mind.

"Imagine our body molding itself to shape theirs, you are not creating you are transforming Emma. You can feel the magic emanating from your stomach, softly moving around your body and passing from you to us." the brunette kept saying while she watched in awe how white smoke enveloped the four of them. "You are thinking of our voices changing, becoming the ones you imagined us to have. We are not ourselves anymore, we are your transformations." Regina finished when she felt Emma's spell work.

"Holy shit." Red said while looking at herself and seeing that her body was not hers anymore. Instead, she heard a grave voice and felt strong calloused hands touching her beard. "Emma this is awesome!"

"I did it?" Emma said while staring at the three men that were now facing her. "I did it!" she screamed happily and hugged Regina, who kissed her strongly on the lips, the magic making her feel aroused.

"Ok, this is so weird." Red complained when the two men that were now Regina and Emma started moaning and touching each other everywhere.

Before the situation could become stranger, Regina felt herself lose strength and saw how now Emma was her beautiful blonde self. Smiling in relief, she continued holding her in a long embrace.

"It wore out." Emma said after separating from Regina.

"It will give us enough time to pass the guards." Regina promised her.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." the brunette said while grabbing her hand and kissing it lovingly.

"I just want us to be safe. I couldn't imagine us being at risk because my magic failed." she muttered.

Before Regina or Red could make the young woman feel better, Granny spoke.

"Women and their sudden insecurity attacks." she huffed and got mean looks from the three other women.

"How can you be so calm and composed about all of this Granny?" Emma asked her while pointing at their surroundings.

"I have lived for a very long time." the woman told them while putting her crossbow away. "I have seen a lot of things, I have loved and I have hated. I have killed many and I have helped many live. I have seen my children grow, lost some of them too, and I have seen my grandchildren become good people. Tell me girl, other than that, what else is there to do in life?"

"I guess there is nothing else." Emma answered while looking at Regina and wanting to experience all of those things with her. She wanted to live so she could live more.

"Then there's your answer." she replied. "And based on the way your eyes are shining in determination, you will fight to get the same things I got."

"Yes I will." she smiled at Regina. "Although I'm scared of the price I will have to pay in order to get that right."

Granny nodded in understanding. "I once had a similar choice to make. I had to choose between staying with my daughter, who was embracing her wolf side and choosing its darkness, over running away with my grandchild in order to give her her best possible chance." she smiled softly at Red. "Of course, you can see what I chose."

"How could you take such a decision?" Regina honestly asked. "How could you choose between your daughter and grandchild?"

"I saw that one of them had already been tainted with darkness and had already made her choice to be seduced by such power. Meanwhile, I held in my arms an innocent baby who would have been forced to live a life of fear and death, one that she didn't choose. I was not going to take away that right from her." Granny answered.

"And I thank you for that every day." Red whispered and hugged Granny tightly. "You gave me my best chance."

"My parents didn't give me that." Emma whispered sadly. "They chose to give themselves their best chance."

"I am afraid that selfishness is a strong trait your parents have." Regina said condescendingly. "Mix that self-righteousness and you have the perfect excuse for putting your own needs before all others."

"Why is it that I'm seeing this just now when I lived with them for 18 years?" Emma asked exasperated.

"Because you love them." the witch smiled knowingly. "It is harder to see the mistakes of the people we love than of the people we hate."

"It seems that you speak from experience." Red told the older brunette.

"I do." she replied tersely. "My mother did many horrible things to me in the name of love." she looked down. "And for a long time I believed that she wanted what was best for me and she just showed it in a horrible way. Turns out that she only cared about herself."

"That's Cora Mills." Granny said knowingly and Red and Emma looked at her in shock.

"You knew Regina's mother?" Emma asked surprised and saw how tense Regina was.

"Everyone knew her." Granny said while looking at Regina for permission. When she got a quick nod she continued her story. "There were rumors that Cora had killed their fairy so that her daughter wouldn't get a wish."

"You couldn't wish for your freedom?" Emma asked sadly.

"Even if I could have, I would have never done so." she replied softly. "The thing I craved and wished most was for my mother to love me."

"Still, that doesn't explain why you know her."

"Apart from the Dark One, Cora was one of the most powerful magical beings in the Enchanted Forest and I needed a potion from her. In exchange of my services she made it for me."

"So you worked at the Mills' castle."

"Yes I did." Granny murmured darkly. "And the things I saw were not pretty. Let's just say that Cora's reputation of Queen of Hearts was no exaggeration of her favorite hobby."

"She stole hearts and kept them?" Red whispered.

"Never stopped until she disappeared." Granny said. "And I bet you had something to do with it." she looked at Regina knowingly.

"Perhaps." she merely shrugged.

"Good, because if one is scared of the Dark One, Cora is far worse than him."

"I thought the Dark One was the most powerful magical being in the Enchanted Forest?" Emma asked.

"He is." Regina said and exchanged looks with Granny. "But even with all his darkness he still has a heart that may stop him for a few seconds from committing horrible acts. My mother, on the other hand, got rid of hers a long time ago."

"And a person without a heart is a dangerous individual: Without a conscience, without emotions and empathy to stop her, Cora Mills was capable of anything." Granny looked at Regina. "Even hurting the people closest to her."

Emma and Red saw how Regina instantly held herself, and it took all of Emma to not scream or cry in anger and pain. Her parents had been distant from her life, but never did they raise their hand or inflicted any kind of punishment that would traumatize her. Yes, it hurt to know that they were usually absent, but at least they didn't hurt her and then claim to love her. _And then people wonder why Regina became the Evil Queen,_ she thought to herself. Regina had seriously been fucked up when she was a child, and still she somehow was capable of loving and giving her heart to the person who deserved it. Regina was in fact the most resilient person she ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Getting closer to the woman, Emma gave her a sad smile and immediately hugged her, feeling the tension leave her body the longer she held her.

"She cannot hurt you anymore." the blonde whispered while peppering the brunette face with kisses. "She cannot hurt anyone else anymore."


	12. Revelations

**Author's Note:** New chapter people! Thank you so much for all the follows and favs this story has gathered (I'm happily surprised by them). Many things happen in this chapter and I hope I keep hearing what you think about the story and where it is going. Reviews are happily welcomed. No Beta so all mistakes are mine.

* * *

 **Somewhere in the Enchanted Forest**

Although Emma had tried her best to convince the rest that she still needed more time to master the glamour spell, the three older women were adamant about spending another night in the forest. The blonde understood that they were in a hurry and that the next day they were expected to be in the Dark Kingdom to give their speech to the people that managed to be there. The fact that Regina was not concerned about the time it would take them to go through the Dark Forest itself before reaching the Dark Castle was something that had been clarified by the older brunette the previous night.

(Beginning of Flashback)

 _"Even if we pass the blockade tomorrow, we still have to pass the Dark Forest." Emma told them. "Which will take us at least 2 more days."_

 _Regina chuckled and nuzzled Emma's face sweetly. "Darling, that forest was created by me. Once we enter it, we can move at whatever pace we want."_

 _"She means that she can use her magic to transport us once we reach the Dark Forest." Red clarified for her. "During her time as Evil Queen, not many dared to venture inside of it because people knew that the Forest and hence all of its creatures were connected to the Queen herself." Red then looked down in shame. "In fact, the Dark Forest was the home of many magical beings that were protected under the laws of Regina that made the hunting and killing of these beings illegal and penalized with death."_

 _"Once Regina was defeated, the Forest was invaded by the armies of the kingdoms and the magical beings in there were killed." Granny said sadly. "There were many werewolves there that retired to that forest to find peace."_

 _Emma saw how the news saddened Regina, who until now had been ignorant about the details of what happened in the kingdom after she was defeated by Snow White. It seemed that every new thing she learned tore her down, and surprisingly, instead of making her feel anger she just felt sadness and guilt for not being able to help her people._

 _"It wasn't your fault." Emma told the witch who looked surprised at her lover._

 _"How did you know?" she just asked._

 _"I can see it in your eyes." Emma smiled sadly. "What my parents did after you left is not your responsibility but theirs."_

 _"It was my responsibility to protect the people, and because of my blind rage and desire for revenge all of the magical beings paid the price." Regina murmured and looked down in sadness._

 _"That was Snow's fault." Red added and got a surprised look from Regina. "She made the decision that ended up killing those people, not you."_

 _"Can't believe I am defending the Evil Queen and blaming Snow White..." Granny huffed. "But it's true: You did many terrible things, but being a bad ruler was not one of them. In fact, you were pretty decent." she recognized. "But don't let it get to your head." she finished while pointing a finger at Regina who nodded._

 _"So now the forest is mostly desolated." Red told them. "Apart from some rebel groups that decided to live there because no one dared to go inside of it. You know, some rumors about the spirit of the Evil Queen roaming around the woods does stop royal soldiers from entering." the brunette smirked._

 _Regina laughed. "You see what a famous name and some stories can do for you?"_

 _"Stories?" Granny huffed. "All the things they say you did are true."_

 _"Like what?" the witch challenged the old woman._

 _"You killed Snow White's mother." Red told her._

 _"How could I? I was a mere child and had no magic nor was I near the White Kingdom at the time. I imagine Snow White told you how the two of us met?"_

 _Red nodded._

 _"Well, that was when her father was going around the kingdom in the search of a new wife. I was only 16 when my mother murdered my beloved, had to marry the King and become the mother of Snow White." she whispered darkly and got a condescending look from Red._

 _"You murdered the King." Granny said._

 _"Again, I did not." Regina muttered. "Did I influence the man who did so? Yes, I did. But, I never laid a hand on the man that many nights did horrible things to me. I feel sorry for the genie I conned into killing the King because I made him believe that I loved him and that the only way for us to be together was if Leopold was gone. In fact, sometimes I did wonder if it was mere faith or I was just that good at planning. I knew that the moment I told the genie my feelings, it would be the moment my plan would be set in motion. I had to make the King believe that my affections were somewhere else. For you see, Leopold read my journal, obsessively, because he always suspected that I was sleeping with another man."_

 _"And were you?" Granny challenged her._

 _"Of course not. The man would have been killed and the daily beatings that I took from Leopold barely allowed me to get out of bed." she hissed angrily._

 _This made the old woman look down in shame._

 _"Although it is hard for you to believe, the people you have been claiming to be saints are not. No one is only good or only evil. Just take a look at Leopold, or at Snow White: She was good, she did what she thought was best for her kingdom and in the process managed to eliminate an entire population. Ironically, the people that she decided to betray were the same ones that had supported her when she was a bandit." Regina looked at the three women who had stayed in complete silence. "Power corrupts good people. It has done so in the past, it continues to do so in the present and it will continue to do so in the future."_

 _"So if you're saying that power corrupts, why should we help you get your throne back?" Red asked softly._

 _"Because I know I can do better this time." Regina whispered. "And I will not be alone. I can learn from my mistakes, and this time the power of the kingdom will not be held by only one person. It will be divided between different branches."_

 _"Branches?" Granny asked._

 _"Division of power can allow for justice in the kingdom. One body takes charge of creating the laws, another one deals with penalizing when they are not enacted and the final one is in charge of leading the kingdom."_

 _"So you would still have unlimited power."_

 _"No, because if I do not abide by the laws created then I can also be penalized." Regina said. "We will all be equals under the eyes of the law."_

 _"But how will you exercise your power then? How will you keep things in check and the people from doing what you are telling them?" Granny asked._

 _"I am not naive. I know that some crimes need to be severely punished, which means that my kingdom will not be tolerant towards killers, rapist, abusers, etc."_

 _"An eye for an eye." Emma said and good a confirmation nod from the witch._

 _"By severely punishing crime then that will stop people from doing criminal activities." Red said and Regina smiled sadly._

 _"Punishment does not stop people from committing crimes. The pain of another person, if not related to us, will never be incentive enough. There is nothing we can do to change the older people, but we can definitely do something for the younger minds." she told the three women. "Starting by eliminating this stupid notion of people only having two choices in life: be good or be evil."_

 _"Evil is not born, it is made." Emma whispered while smiling sadly at the woman she loved so much. She knew they were making the right decision by helping Regina get the throne back._

 _"Indeed it is." Regina smiled warmly at Emma and hugged her. "Sometimes, what people need in order to let their goodness out is a small amount of love and understanding."_

 _"So is that going to be your plan?" Granny asked. "Divide the power between different people? And what people will get the power?"_

 _"The monarch will be the one making the decisions, for in all honesty we are the most educated ones." she said apologetically to Granny and Red who merely shrugged. "Allowing the people to make important decisions about taxes, or army involvement would create such hindrance that the result would probably create internal conflicts and favoritism."_

 _"I think I read about this in your journal." Emma said excitedly. "You were already thinking about this before you were sent to limbo."_

 _"Not every idea I had was focused on the task of killing Snow White." she replied sarcastically. "But yes, I had plans that I wanted to enact after I stopped the rebellion, one of them being the creation of this system."_

 _"And what about the laws. It has always been the royal council the one that creates them." Red said._

 _"A council would still be responsible for that, but one not only formed by noblemen. I want to have representatives of each group of the realm be there, discussing the best interests of their people since it is impossible for a royal to know about the hindrances of all individuals."_

 _"I think that's a wonderful idea." Emma smiled warmly. "You would still have the power but the people would also have a voice."_

 _Regina nodded. "And that same council would be responsible for making the laws be followed. No person shall be above the law. Even the Queen."_

 _"What about the power the Queen holds?" Granny asked the witch._

 _"Absolute." Regina answered honestly. "As long as it does not challenge the laws created and agreed beforehand."_

 _"Basically you cannot use the law to help yourself get away with things." Emma clarified for the two wolfwomen._

 _"Correct." Regina confirmed and saw the two older women look at each other. "I want to redeem myself."_

 _Red saw the honesty behind the witch's eyes and decided right then and there to trust the older woman to make things right. Besides, she knew everything about giving people second chances and this was the opportunity Regina deserved. Apart from the fact that there was no one else to do so, the woman had already opened herself up to them in many ways. Having been close to Snow White during her time as a bandit, she failed to see the woman behind the witch. Now, and from what she could see was thanks to Emma's understanding and love, Regina was letting her walls go down and showing her true concern for her people. This woman in front of them was a true Queen. Maybe she had not started her life wanting to be one, but now that she had been prepared and bred for it, she wanted to lead. And Red was going to make sure that she would give this woman the possibility to do so._

 _"Then I guess there is some more planning we need to do." Red said while getting a short nod from Granny._

(End of Flashback)

"So just to be clear..." Red said while giving Granny her red cape. "We need to go through the blockade made by the Royal guards in less than 30 minutes?"

"Yes." Regina said while smiling encouragingly at Emma. "The spell Emma is performing is a difficult one, and for her to maintain it for 30 minutes is remarkable." she complimented her lover.

Emma blushed and looked down in embarrassment.

"Ok, got it, Emma is a magical prodigy and you are madly in love with her." Red teased the two women. "I think we should enter the town and then separate. We pass the blockade in different times and agree to meet on an specific point."

"I agree." Granny huffed. "They will probably be looking for groups of 4."

"I cannot refute that." Regina said. "But just in case something went wrong I would prefer if we went with a companion."

"So I go with you and Granny and Red follow us." Emma simplified.

"I am afraid it is not that simple darling." Regina smiled softly. "If they were to catch us together then this small rebellion would end before it even started. And..." she stopped Emma. "The two of us could better protect Red and Granny since you also possess magic."

"But..."

"No buts." Regina scolded her lightly. "I know you agree with me."

"I do." Emma said while touching the brunette's face. "But what if something happens to you?"

"Nothing will happen to her." Red intervened and smiled cheekily "I will protect her as if it were your life I'm protecting."

"Do you promise?" Emma whimpered and Red smiled warmly at her goddaughter's devotion.

"As long as you promise to protect Granny in the same way."

"I can do that." Emma smiled.

"I don't need you to." Granny retorted and the 4 women laughed softly. "But just in case we do have to fight, how should we warn the others?"

"Since Regina and I will go first, we will give you a signal if we see that there is no other way to go through the blockade." Red winked at them as an example.

"I would believe that the blockade is not there just to trap us but also to stop people from going to the Dark Castle." Regina further explained. "So it does seem logical that the further we go, the less people will be around us."

"Hence less distractions." Emma whispered. "But if we fight, you do know that we will have to use our magic."

"I am aware of that." the witch told them. "But if we refrain from using it until the last possible moment and reach the Dark Forest, then we are safe."

"That's risky." Granny huffed.

"Another item in the long list of risky things we are doing." Red shrugged. "Are you sure they won't be able to follow us inside the forest?"

"They can." Regina said. "But they will get lost and they won't be able to use their magic inside of it."

"I trust Regina." Emma said and smiled at her lover who returned the gesture. "And if she says that as long as we make it to the forest we are safe then let's try our damndest to do so."

Red and Granny looked at each other and nodded.

"As I said, we already started a suicide mission anyway." Red smirked.

"Then it is settled." Regina said and stood next to Granny and Red. "Now darling, remember what I told you yesterday and from deep within you use your magic. You are not creating, you are transforming." she reminded the young woman and smiled when she felt the magic change her.

"Well that was faster than yesterday." Granny said and looked at herself while doing a grimace. "Still as creepy."

"Once a caster can perform a spell, it becomes easier to do it the next time." Regina explained in a deep voice. "Something that I will happily explain to you all once we are on the other side of this blockade." she told them and walked out of the forest and into the town.

"Regina, wait." Emma told her and grabbed the witch. "You promised me no silly sacrifices." she looked at the woman deeply. "So I expect to see you, unscratched, in 30 minutes."

"You will." Regina nodded and kissed her softly. "And please, the same warning goes towards you."

"You know me, I just can't help it." the blonde cheekily responded.

"Indeed." Regina muttered while being followed by Red. "Eugenia, I allow you to use any means necessary to prevent this young woman from blowing our cover."

"That's if you don't blow it beforehand because you ran out of time." she scolded the two brunettes and they shrugged.

"Well, I guess this is it." Red told the witch while smirking in delight.

"I believe so." Regina muttered but still smiled softly.

The two women gave one last look behind and quickened their pace, having just been far away from the main road so Emma could use their magic without bringing unwanted attention. After Red nodded her confirmation that no one was nearby, the two of them started to make their way towards the village.

"You know." she continued when they entered the village. "This place has changed so much since I last saw it."

"That happens after 18 years of misery and poverty." Red's voice showed anger but her face held a semblance of indifference.

"I am sorry." the witch told her and got a surprised look from Red. "I know what you must have felt when you lost most of your family."

"After we defeated you." Red started. "Things were alright. Snow kept the people happy and it seemed as if we would finally be free. At that time I didn't know that it all was because Snow kept your councilmen and laws. But, when she felt comfortable enough, she changed. I don't know how to explain it, but one day she was this sweet and carefree woman that only wanted what was best for her people and the next day she agreed to eliminate half of her population. I never understood why she did it, or why she decided to spare Granny and I from it. Now we realize that we made a deal with the devil for our survival of the Sorcerers' Wars."

"A deal with the devil?" Regina asked while passing through the first blockade without trying to bring any attention to them.

"Snow told us what she was planning to do, you know, joining the other kingdoms in this war. And she told us that since she was our friend she could spare us if we promised complete devotion and loyalty to her." she murmured.

"In what kind of way you promised this loyalty?" Regina asked, concerned.

"She forbade us from switching to our wolf form." Red said while looking at Regina and understanding her concern. "The moment we left the castle walls and allowed ourselves to change, it was the moment Snow must have found out about our betrayal." she confided in the brunette.

"And I assume she managed to do this with the help of a spell?"

"A potion." Red whispered while preparing to pass the second blockade.

This time, the soldiers were asking women that were in groups of 4 to stop and answer questions. Quickly making their way around them, the two women passed them and exhaled when they saw that no one was following them. Regina felt a soft pinch in her hand and looked at Red.

"We have 15 more minutes to pass the two remaining blockades." she told the younger brunette who nodded in understanding and quickened her pace. "Are you sure this potion is untraceable?"

"I cannot be sure." she looked down in shame. "But since we left the palace we haven't been followed by any guards. I can just assume that Snow was so certain about our loyalty and fear of being attacked by the other kingdoms that she never thought about us betraying her."

"Perhaps old Snow would have been that naive." Regina whispered back. "But this new one does not seem to be so trusting and tolerant."

"It almost sounds as if you are scared of her." the wolf woman said.

"It is because I am." the witch confessed. "If my suspicions are correct, then it means that Snow White's heart has been tainted and manipulated by a powerful magical being. That, my dear, is terrible news for us."

"You think this man we cannot remember is the one responsible for Snow's heart being tainted with darkness."

"If he has not already taken it out and hence he is controlling her that way." Regina said. "But if it her heart was tainted then that is more concerning than her just being commanded by him."

"And why is that?"

"Because if her heart was tainted then a previous darkness must have been in it for the spell to take effect. And, the spell gains strength by continuous dark acts. You see, Snow enjoys inflicting pain and suffering the more she keeps performing dark acts because each one makes her heart become darker."

"So she would have had knowledge and a capacity to fight the darkness?" Red asked shocked.

"Indeed." Regina said, feeling sad for Emma.

"If Emma learns about this then she will be devastated." Red whispered while seeing the third blockade and directing Regina towards it. "To know that your mother chose power over you must be awful."

"Indeed it is." Regina murmured and Red realized that the older brunette spoke from experience.

"Then it's a good thing that you are with Emma." Red smiled softly. "You will help her realize that it's not her fault this happened. Knowing my goddaughter as well as I do, she will blame herself for her mother's incapacity to love."

"That does sound like Emma." Regina said while keeping her voice down and pretending to focus on the women that were pacing by. The less concentrated and concerned about the blockade they looked to be, the easier it would be for them to pass.

"How much longer do we have?" Red asked after they cleared the third row of soldiers and continued with their quick pace.

"We have 7 more minutes." Regina whispered. "And I think we are nearing the outskirts of the village. Knowing Snow, there she will have the last blockade on standby."

"And Emma and Granny?" Red asked, concern in her tone of voice.

"Have you not seen them?" the witch smirked and glanced towards their left. "They have been behind us this whole time."

SQSQSQSQSQ

"I think we have waited enough." Emma said while jumping out of the bushes and looking around. "Besides, it's not like we have time to spare."

"I hear you." Granny muttered and followed Emma closely. "Don't blow our cover."

"I won't." Emma said with a fake pout. "But I don't wanna be too behind from them."

"Then start walking and stop talking." the older woman huffed in annoyance.

"I know you love me." Emma smirked while softly punching her companion. "Besides, it has been a long time since we have been on an adventure."

"Won't argue with you on that." Granny smiled. "And I would have never imagined that our adventure would be helping the Evil Queen get back the kingdom I fought against her to lose."

"She's not that woman anymore." Emma said softly while watching the people around her, trying to see someone suspicious or too interested in them. "And she already atoned herself for all her past sins."

"I understand why you forgave her child." the old woman said. "But it's different for the rest of the people that will never get to know her like you or I do."

"That's not true." the blonde smiled. "Because she has been forgiven by Fate."

The old woman looked at the girl she loved as if she were her own grandchild with shock. "Fate forgave her?"

"That's where she went during the last 18 years. She faced Fate's trial and she came back the moment I left my parents' castle."

"It sounds like Fate wanted the two of you to meet." Granny huffed in surprise.

"That's why I believe we will not fail." Emma smiled happily. "How can I believe that our love isn't meant to be when we have already faced the impossible?"

Granny smiled sadly at that comment and looked at the blonde who sometimes reminded her too much of her mother. The girl's faith in love and destiny were one of the things that she must have learned from Snow and Charming's story. And, although it was obvious that her world turned to dust when she found out about the dark being that has been lurking around her parents, the girl still believed in the possibility of a happy ending.

"I just hope you're right." Granny whispered and avoided all unwanted attention while passing the first blockade.

"I knew that they would be looking for a group of 4 women." Emma smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, good thing we have the magical wonder with us."

"You're just jealous I can do magic and you can't." the blonde teased.

"I can turn into a wolf child. I don't need magic."

"Well, a wolf strolling around the village would certainly bring the attention of the people."

"Point taken." Granny smiled softly. "Now, quiet and pretend that you're a mere citizen trying to get out to the center of the village."

"I can do that." Emma said while avoiding the looks of women that seemed too invested in getting their attention. "Look, the second blockade." she pointed towards the rows of guards that were now stopping all the women that tried to pass to the edge of the village."

"I can see Red and Regina ahead." Granny quickly pointed towards two men who fastened their pace and Emma exhaled in relief. She felt a soft pinch and she moved faster, hoping the old woman understood that they were nearing the limit time for the spell.

"We have 15 more minutes until the spell runs out." Emma whispered to Granny who merely nodded and pointed towards the third blockade.

"We will need to be real quiet and fast in this one." she whispered to the young woman. "The number of people trying to leave the village is diminishing, hence not so many distractions."

"How do you want to do this?"

"We pretend as if nothing is going on. You will not even look at the guards when we go pass them."

"But what if they consider this suspicious enough?" Emma whispered. "I mean, avoiding their attention and pretending to not be scared cannot be normal."

"Not if you just got here." the old woman explained. "But based on how tranquil and calm the people are, it seems as if the soldiers have been camping here for a while."

"Oh, ok, I got it." the blonde murmured and did what Granny told her to do. To their relief, the guards ignored them and in a matter of minutes they were on their way to the final blockade.

"How much until the spell runs out?" the old woman asked, starting to feel the pressure of reaching the final blockade in time.

"7 more minutes." Emma said while holding her breath. She could hear Granny's concealed fear in her voice, and knowing the old woman, if she was scared then they had enough reason to panic.

"I suggest we hurry." Granny hurried and started a fast pace.

Emma saw how the number of people diminished, and just as Granny had suspected, not many were trying to leave it, probably forbidden by that same blockade that was trying to trap them. The moment the blonde laid eyes on them she realized that there was no way for them to pass. In fact, it seemed that Regina and Red also noticed this because their pace slowed, probably discussing the best way to approach the situation. When Red turned around and quickly winked at them, she quickly nodded in understanding and prepared her hidden sword.

"Red gave the signal." Emma whispered to Granny who nodded and started to let her wolf take control of her body.

Before Emma could focus on her magic to summon her sword, she gasped and fell to the floor, making Granny stop and bend down next to her.

"Emma, what's wrong?" the old woman said while looking around and seeing that Regina was in a similar situation with Red holding her weight.

"Magic." she spat while using Granny's strength to get up. "Dark magic."

 **Moments Earlier In the White Kingdom**

"Your Majesty." a knight came running towards the throne room and held his breath, waiting for permission to speak. When Snow nodded at him he bend down on one knee as protocol dictated. "Your suspicions were correct. Red and her grandmother have not been seen in any part of the castle in nearly three days."

When the Queen merely shrugged and ordered him to leave, he breathed in relief. He had been concerned about being punished because of this escape. Thankfully, the Queen was too distracted to remember that he was in charge of all workers of the castle.

"You were right." Snow turned around and saw Manohara staring at her rather seductively. "The wolf and her grandmother ran away." she looked down in a temporary moment of sadness. "They betrayed me."

"Nothing too shocking based on the fact that they first betrayed their race by supporting you." Manohara answered honestly. "It was a good thing I decided to put that tracking spell on the potion."

"Have you located their position?" Snow asked while breathing in.

"They are somewhere in the Forest." he told the Queen. "Near the final village that separates your kingdom from the Dark Forest."

"So they are making their way to the Dark Castle." Snow said angrily. "They are going to help the Evil Queen."

"May I suggest the possibility of them being with the Evil Queen and your daughter?" Manohara smirked.

"And how would you even know that?" Snow asked intrigued.

"We haven't heard anything from the two of them since they killed most of your men in that village and the forest would be a good place for them to hide. Not only that, but Red is loyal to your daughter because she has loved Emma since the moment she was born. And Granny is not behind. The two of them would do anything for Emma."

"Even rebel against me and aid the woman Emma is with." Snow whispered.

"Because that way they can take your power and still have a White in the White throne." Manohara said, creating more fear and confusion inside the Queen's heart and mind. "That way, the Evil Queen will rule the Dark Kingdom and Emma will take your kingdom, creating a formidable alliance."

"But you said that Emma was a victim of the Evil Queen's seduction." Snow said exasperated. "You told me that she was confused and charmed by that vile woman."

"That does not mean that she won't do anything to take your crown. She believes she loves the Evil Queen so she will do _anything_ the Evil Queen asks of her." the wizard told her.

"And we sent my husband to go to them." the Queen said with fake concern.

"He will not be killed. At most tortured for information about us but there is nothing he can tell them." he smirked. "Besides, he was getting rather annoying and embarrassing."

"Indeed." the Queen said while smiling darkly. "Now Manohara, I assume you came to me with this information because there is something you can do about it?"

"I can prepare the guards." Manohara smirked. "I can bring the Evil Queen to you, if you let me."

"So you would use your magic?" Snow said carefully. "Isn't that a big risk on our position?"

"One we must take." he caressed the woman softly. "And no one will have to remember anything about me using my magic. Trust me, I can make sure of that."

"Ok, Manohara." the Queen said. "Go to the village and bring me the Evil Queen and my daughter."

"And what about the wolfwomen?"

"Kill them." she said angrily. "That way everyone will know that no one betrays the White Queen."

"Your wish is my command." he bowed and disappeared in a purple cloud of smoke.

 **In the Dark Village**

"Regina!" Red whispered loudly while quickly catching the old brunette who stumbled down and almost fell to the floor. "What's wrong?!"

"Dark Magic." she said, clearly worried and immediately looking for Emma. "He's here." she started to move towards Emma and stopped when a purple cloud of smoke appeared between them.

"I would stop if I were you, your Majesty." the man smirked at Regina who flinched at the tone. "So it's true that you are alive and well, the last 18 years not having affected you at all."

"It seems that I am at a disadvantage." Regina made time for Emma and Granny to get close to them. "Since you know everything about me yet I know nothing about you."

"Apologies for that dear." he smirked. "Allow me to introduce myself, Manohara at your service." he bowed.

"I can feel your glamour spell so we both know that's not who you truly are." the witch said while feeling Emma's light magic focusing on her. "So why don't you stop this whole charade and reveal your true self?"

"And where is the fun in that?" he smiled and then pointed at Emma. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." he teased her. "Who would have thought that the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming was capable of using magic?" he shrugged. "Too bad I didn't notice it earlier, I could have been a great teacher. Alas, I guess that won't happen now since I have strict orders from Queen Snow to capture you two and kill the two werewolves."

"Don't you dare!" Emma screamed and released her magic on the man who was sent flying towards the barrier.

Regina looked at her lover and immediately took her hand, feeling the magic flowing through her. Concentrating on their connection, she used Emma's magic to amplify hers and threw fireball after fireball. The men were not able to do much with their shields, who merely melted and caused them to scream in agony at the pain of the liquid metal burning their skin.

When Emma saw the way Regina was using their combined power to make her spells stronger, she searched for Red and Granny who had grabbed some bows and were now shooting at the men Regina threw fireballs at. Concerned at the fact that she couldn't find the wizard, she noticed how the man threw a dark ball at Regina and the woman raised a shield in front of them. Emma spat when she felt the darkness trying to pour inside, making her light magic weaker.

"Don't let the darkness of the spell darken your light." Regina huffed. "Think of good things, happy things and use it to pour brightness to the shield." the brunette instructed and Emma nodded. When she imagined the two of them kissing and walking around the woods, she felt her heart stretch and lightness come out of it, quickly enveloping the two of them and pushing the dark spell away from them.

"Impressive." Manohara clapped and looked at Emma. "The girl has potential."

"One you will never see for yourself." Regina tensed and threw a incapacitating spell at the man who quickly deflected it.

"Your magic is still sloppy." he tainted her. "You were never any good at it because you never practiced your craft."

Regina stopped her attack and focused her attention on the man who was smiling at her. She focused on the brand of magic that was emanating from him, and although it had been a long time since she last felt it, she now knew exactly who she was facing. Disgust and fear invaded her heart and she felt herself falter, having to depend on Emma to stop her from falling to the ground.

"What's wrong?!" Emma said, watching the fear in the brunette's eyes grow. "What did you do to her?!" she screamed at the man who watched the scene with amusement in his eyes.

"I did nothing. She just realized who she was facing." he smirked. "As I said, her magic is sloppy and hence she just identified my true identity." he got enveloped in purple smoke, which then dissipated and gave way to an old woman with brown hair and red lips.

Emma held her breath back and looked at the woman who was now standing in front of them. It was easy for her to see the similarities, the same brown eyes and face lines being the same ones that made her lover be so attractive.

"It can't be." she whispered. "You were dead."

"So was my dear daughter." the woman smiled and started to move towards them. "It has been such a long time since I was able to walk in this body."

Regina looked at the woman who had been her personal nightmare during most of her life and felt the same childish fear that had stopped her from rebelling quickly making way inside of her. Nevertheless, she now had someone to protect from her mother and she was not going to fail, not again. Her gaze hardened and she faced the same woman she had said goodbye to many years ago.

"Hello mother." Regina said tersely while placing herself in front of Emma and covering her.

"My dear daughter." the woman replied. "I have missed you."

"No, you have not." the brunette replied while quickly searching for Red and Granny. The two women were almost done with killing the guards and until they had to, she was going to do her best in keeping her mother distracted. "I thought you were dead."

"Well, your assassination plan was rather unsuccessful." she smirked. "That's what happens when you employ a scoundrel to do the job."

"Only the best for you, mother."

"Although your reappearance was rather shocking to me." her mother said. "You see, when you failed to cast your curse I had to rearrange my plans and find alternative ways to hold power."

"By sleeping with Snow White?" Regina spat in disgust at her own mother. "What did you do to her? Did you steal her heart?"

Emma, meanwhile, had been a quiet spectator of the conversation. The only thing that kept going through her mind was that this woman was the same wizard that had been sleeping with her mother, the one that had destroyed her parents' True Love and was now trying to stop them from getting their own. She felt the bile rise inside her throat and barely managed to hold it in.

"Oh no dear, that would have been too easy and someone would have found out." the older woman smiled. "I did something quite different."

"You cursed her." Regina said and for a moment she worried about Emma and what this meant for Snow.

"It wasn't hard to do. She already had darkness inside her heart and I merely gave her the push she needed to completely embrace it."

"And all of this plan for what? To always remain hidden and limited by the Queen?" Regina teased her mother and saw how the comment got to her. "How unfitting of you."

"As I said, the options were limited and things would have changed soon were it not for you attempting to lead this rebellion against her. Tell me dear, do you truly expect the people to follow the Evil Queen?"

"They will follow Queen Regina." Emma finally found her voice and got the attention of the two brunettes.

"Of course, with the heir of the White Kingdom by your side to bring credibility to your throne. Tell me dear, what have you done to the girl so she does what you command."

"She has done nothing to me, unlike you bitch who needs to control people so you feel loved and respected." the blonde spat at her and immediately felt a spell being cast her way, it being stopped by Regina.

"You will not hurt her!" Regina said firmly.

Cora looked at the two women and laughed. "Don't tell me you love this girl?" when the brunette held her gaze she smirked. "Foolish girl, you never learn. Love is weakness."

Emma heard a howl and saw that Red and Granny cleared the way for them, the row of guards on the floor. She concentrated on the love she felt for Regina, how she wanted to protect her from her mother and everything that caused her pain, and how that love would last forever. She opened her eyes and saw her hands shining.

"Love is not weakness." she said firmly while looking at Regina and making her see the truth behind her words, convince her that their love was strong enough. "It's strength." she pointed her hands towards Cora and saw the woman flying out of the way. "Now Regina, move!"

Regina didn't have to be told twice, and without giving a glance towards her mother, she grabbed Emma's hand and started to run towards the Dark Forest followed closely by Red and Granny. She could hear voices coming from behind, and after concentrating on her castle, she told Emma to grab hands with the werewolves. When they all did, she saw the entrance of the Dark Forest in front of them. Although she watched Emma turn her head around and Granny dodge some arrows that were being pointed towards them, all she could focus on was the location of her castle and getting inside the forest. It seemed as if hours went by, but when they finally made it inside, she felt her magic work around them and the last thing the Royal guards and Cora Mills saw was the characteristic purple smoke of Regina's magic transporting them towards safety.

* * *

 **P.D:** So now we know who Manohara truly is! I know, creepy but it is the Enchanted Forest so it could be possible and Cora is rather twisted and sick enough to pull this off. Also, the name Manohara means he who steals the heart (thought it was rather fitting for her) and the quote I told I hid in earlier chapters in one of the flashbacks came from a speech Cora gave to Anastasia when she was teaching her magic (OUAT in Wonderland).


	13. No More Secrets

**Author's note:** New chapter people! I hope you like this one and what it tells! I'm excited about having them start to plan the attack to the White Kingdom in the next chapter and there will be some surprises there ;) Also, in this chapter I am answering some questions given to me at the beginning of the story. Reviews are always welcomed and remember that I have no Beta. Thank you for all the love and kudos :)

* * *

The moment Emma opened her eyes she saw that they were no longer in the Dark Forest. In fact, were she not able to watch the awestruck looks that Granny and Red also sported, she would have believed that all of this was an illusion made by Cora. The last thing she had seen was Regina's hand quickly grabbing hers, the magic of the forest surrounding them in a cloud of purple smoke and the pull of a transportation spell leaving her with nausea. Nausea that was only accentuated the moment she thought about Cora, the mother of the woman she loved and thought she had assassinated many years ago. The woman who had destroyed her parents' True Love and bedded her own mother in order to be in her favor, all of this while pretending to be a man. It not only disgusted her because of the viciousness of the act, but for the mere fact that her mother was going to remain unaware of the true identity of her trusted lover. Barely stopping herself from vomiting, she turned around and saw Regina's stand falter. Quickly running forward and hugging the brunette close to her, she felt the witch's weight collapse on top of hers.

"Red, Granny, help!" she screamed to the two women who immediately came. "Something is wrong, I think she is injured." she whispered and started to think the worst.

Red lowered herself to the floor where the two lovers were lying down she immediately started to smell around Regina's body. After doing so for a couple of minutes, she smiled.

"No child, she's fine." the werewolf promised Emma. "She's just exhausted because she used too much magic. Remember, she just had a magic duel and she hasn't used her powers in 18 years."

"Besides, we smell no blood or poison so she wasn't nicked by those damn arrows." Granny huffed angrily.

"They imbedded them with silver." Red said while looking at her grandmother. "Which means that they knew we would be with them."

"Probably that potion Snow forced us to drink."

"A potion?!" Emma screamed while facing the two women. "And when were you planning on telling us about that?"

"We thought the potion would only alert her of our absence." Red replied tersely. "In fact, we are sure it just did that. Your mother's suspicions you can blame them on us loving you."

Emma immediately felt bad for screaming at the two werewolves, but then again they had not told them about the risk they posed when they joined them a few days ago. And, that omission was what compromised their plan and almost led to the death of her True Love. She took a deep breath so she could control her emotions: Although the only thing she wanted to do right now was to scream and cry, she knew that Regina needed her help.

"I'm sorry." she whispered. "For losing my temper with you. I was just so scared when all those guards came out. It's obvious that we were ambushed by Cora and my mother."

"And I thought we knew her." the brunette said sadly. "What the hell has happened to her?"

"Cora happened." Emma muttered darkly while caressing her lover's cheek lovingly. "But that doesn't matter now." she focused on her magic and imagined it flowing through her body, slowly making its way to her fingerprints and passing through to Regina.

It took a couple of seconds, but Emma opened her eyes when she felt the witch moving on top of her. Surprisingly, instead of the usual brown, dark eyes of her lover, she saw purple eyes hungrily staring at her.

"Damn." Red whispered to Granny. "Do you smell it?"

Granny merely nodded and looked everywhere but at the two women on the floor.

"Regina?" Emma gulped and touched the brunette's cheek again.

Regina moaned at the highly sensible touch of the blonde, and barely being able to keep her composure, she closed her eyes and deeply concentrated on her words. "Please make yourselves at home and go the East Wing where you will find rooms to choose from." she managed to say and quickly transported Emma and herself away from there.

The moment the two women appeared in what Emma assumed was Regina's bedroom, the brunette grabbed her face and kissed the younger woman passionately.

"Regina?" Emma half asked and moaned, trying to remember that she was worried about the witch and not dying to take her to the bed that she could see in front of them. "Are you ok?"

I am more than ok." Regina moaned after squeezing the blonde's ass. "I can feel your magic inside of me and it is driving me insane." she confessed while attacking the blonde's neck and peppering it with quick kisses and soft bites.

"Ohh." Emma finally understood. Regina was horny because of her magic. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to make you feel better." she apologized.

"I know darling." the brunette managed to separate herself from Emma after kissing her breast. "I want you badly, but not like this."

Emma nodded. "Tell me how to help you."

"You need to take your magic back." she whimpered, hating herself for not letting go and just kiss Emma senselessly.

"But you will collapse again." the blonde argued.

"And instead of doing a magic transfusion you will go to my drawer and grab a blue potion and make me drink it." the brunette finished.

"I can do that." Emma said and concentrated on taking all of her magic back.

When she did so and saw Regina collapse on the bed, she went to her desk and searched for the blue potion. Once she found it between many strange objects that she would ask the brunette about later, she opened the bottle and immediately forced Regina to drink it. After a couple of minutes where Emma was panicking and considering screaming again for Red and Granny, the witch opened her eyes and Emma saw that they were brown again.

"There are those gorgeous brown eyes that have bewitched me." the blonde smiled and kissed the brunette longingly.

"It..." Regina said while continuing the kiss. "...still astounds me how naturally magic comes to you. "

"I assume magic transfusions are hard to do?"

"Almost impossible." the brunette smiled. "The caster has to really love and place the other person before themselves. Which only makes me fall even more in love with you."

Emma smiled happily. "I didn't take the former Evil Queen for a romantic."

"After today, my view on many things has changed." she said somberly. "In fact, how is it possible for you to still love me after what we just saw?"

"The sins and mistakes of our parents are not our own." she replied seriously. "If they were, I would have to berate myself with all the shady crimes my family has done."

Regina nodded and patted with her hand the bed so Emma could sit next to her. "How are you feeling?"

"Like my whole world collapsed right in front of me and yet there is so much I don't understand." she looked at the brunette and saw understanding in those brown eyes.

"What do you want me to explain to you?"

"How your mother is alive, for starters."

Regina nodded. "Remember I told you I hired someone to go kill my mother so she would not follow me to the land without magic? Well, his name is, was, I am not sure if he is still alive, Captain Hook. I caught him inside my castle trying to..." she looked down in shame.

"No judgment from me. You're no longer the woman that did those things."

Regina refused to look up, but nodded, knowing that Emma deserved the truth. "In my dungeons I had captured a person that the Dark One loved."

"He could love?" Emma asked surprised.

"That is what shocks you? Not the fact that I just told you that I abducted an innocent woman?"

"I don't approve, but from an strategic point of view I can understand your motives for doing such a thing."

Regina looked at Emma like she was not real. Could it truly be possible that someone loved her and understood her as deeply as the blonde seemed to do? Or was it all a figment of her imagination and none of this was happening, merely a bittersweet punishment or curse done by Snow White and Prince Charming?

Somehow understanding Regina's trepidation, Emma approached the brunette slowly and cupped her cheeks while giving her a reassuring smile. "This is real. I'm here with you and I still love you."

Regina took a deep breath and nodded, feeling her body relax after hearing the blonde's words.

"Now, if you would like to continue with your story?"

"So, instead of allowing him to kill Belle I told him about my plan to move all the people of the Enchanted Forest to a land without magic, a land where he would be able to kill the Dark One in exchange for his services in an assassination." the brunette looked up. "I helped him travel to the realm where I sent my mother through the magic mirror with a magic hat."

"But you told me that your mother took her heart out so she wouldn't be able to love the Dark One." Emma said confused. "Can a person without a heart be killed or does the heart need to be inside the person in order to die?"

"A magic heart is an extension of the heart. Although it may not be physically inside of you, were someone to squeeze or manipulate it, you would be able to feel the effects. Usually, one takes a person's heart if you want to control or kill the person. What my mother did, take her own heart out, is uncommon but I would assume the same principle applies: just because her heart is not inside of her that does not mean that her body will not feel pain or bleed."

"Hence if Hook would have kept his word he would have been able to kill her." Emma realized.

"Indeed. But it seems that my mother offered him a better deal than mine." the brunette said softly, but almost as if she had somehow expected it to happen.

"You were hiding something from him." Emma said knowingly. "While making the deal with Hook, you kept something to yourself. Something that your mother could have used against you."

Regina smiled tersely. "All the people that went from the Enchanted Forest to the magicless land would have lost their memories. Instead, they would have believed that they belonged to this new realm where I would rule over them."

"Damn that is a powerful curse." Emma whispered.

"Now that I find myself in a better mental state to think things through, the Curse sounded too good to be true."

"So it was all a trick of the Dark One, to make you believe that the Curse would help you?"

"The Dark One only helps himself." Regina muttered. "A lesson that I learned too late."

"And you think he is still alive." Emma remembered a conversation the two women had not so many days ago.

"He has always been resourceful, even in moments of great despair. It would not surprise me to see that he is hiding somewhere. In fact, I thought that the wizard that was helping your mother was the Dark One." she confessed to Emma who shrieked in remembrance.

"That would have been easier to understand." the blonde said.

"I know my love." the witch went forward and hugged the younger woman tightly.

"Do you have a plan?" Emma got to the really important part of the conversation. "If your mother is aiding my mother then the two of them will probably want us dead."

"My plan remains the same: talk with the people that managed to come tomorrow, and if my mother chooses the side of Snow White and her kingdom then there is nothing I can do. Besides, the only thing that will save us from her killing us is to kill her first."

"You are not wrong there." the blonde separated from Regina and started to look around the room for the first time, earning a chuckle from the older woman who was meticulously watching her move. "Your castle is wonderful."

"For some reason Leopold and Snow never liked it as much as the Summer Palace. To them, the fact that the castle was filled with darkness terrified them both. To me, this calmness brought peace and contemplation. I felt safe here."

"I can understand the allure." Emma nodded while going towards the balcony. "It has an incredible view."

"The sea always made Leopold feel small and incompetent. To him, all things had to be finite because that meant that he could rule over them. As you probably noticed, the Dark Castle is surrounded by many unknowns that make you question your place in the world."

"I keep despising my grandfather more and more with each new thing I learn about him." the young woman said angrily. "And it sickens me that my mother only speaks wonders of him and his time as king."

"Because he was wonderful with her." Regina chuckled darkly. "Remember, he even got her a new mother when she desired one. Although perhaps he did it with ulterior motives." she finished somberly.

Emma closed her eyes, trying to stop her anger from pouring out of her. She could feel her magic asking to be released, wanting to show the hatred she felt towards the same people who weeks before were her whole life. She felt cheated, deceived and manipulated by those who were supposed to protect her from people like that. It felt awful to realize how she had been moved like a chess piece in a game that she had no idea she was a part of. All of what she had grown up believing in, her parents' True Love, their position as heroes, the vanquishing of evil in the hands of good and the recreation of the realm after magic poisoned it, were vicious lies. Not only had she found out that she had magic, but also she discovered that people are never only good or evil. They have different shades of gray and each one is capable of the worst crimes. Self-righteousness and revenge have seemed to rule the kingdom of Leopold since Queen Ava died, and that saddened Emma because it was obvious that everything started there. Her grandmother's death had led to the beginning of the bloodiest familial feud in the history of all known realms, and Emma was the heir to that line. It made her feel disgusted with herself.

"It all started because my grandmother Ava died." Emma whispered sadly. "Your life got ruined because of my family."

"Perhaps that was the act that set things in motion." Regina agreed. "But the people responsible for my unhappiness were my mother, the Dark One and myself. She was the one that forced me to marry the King and the one that killed Daniel. I could have said no if my mother would have given me the chance. And although the Dark One only gave me half-truths and lies, I was the one that accepted them and started my path as the Evil Queen."

"And do you think the King would have allowed you to live after your rejection of him?" Emma asked incredulously. "Or that the Dark One would have just let you say no and that was it?"

"Touché."

"Regina, you were a victim of people that were more powerful than you, people that manipulated you and used your pain against you. And, my family, instead of helping you like they should have done based on their self-promotion as heroes, they participated and made things worse." the blonde woman argued vehemently. "I'm tired of hearing you blame yourself for these things. What you did to other people, ok, that I understand, but what they did to you is not your fault, ok?"

Regina wanted to believe the blonde's words. She wanted to just let go of that guilt that she held inside of herself, that kept coming back to remind her that she had been weak and she had allowed others to take advantage of her. She had allowed others to use and manipulate her. The young woman that had been so desperate to bring her first love back from the death had been naive enough to think that the kindness of the Dark One was that, mere kindness. It took her a while to learn that things were not like that, not when it came to villains. Then she became one and started to use the same tools that had been used against her: she got her revenge with Jefferson when he left him stranded in Wonderland in the hands of her mother. He had been part of Rumpelstiltskin plan since the beginning, and along that strange doctor, the three of them destroyed that last bit of hope that she had at remaining Regina Mills, a princess with no kingdom to rule and a horse as a best friend. It wouldn't have been a grandiose life, but it would have been the life she chose to have. Y es, the man had deserved what happened to him, and it seemed that Fate thought so too because she did not see his shadow during her stay at Limbo.

"It's hard for me to admit weakness to others." she confessed while staring at deep green eyes. "During a long time that was all I felt, either by the hands of the Dark One, my mother or Leopold. The moment I embraced the Evil Queen was the moment I was finally free of being ruled by others. I got my revenge and I made the people that wronged me pay for manipulating a child. My vendetta ended the moment I came out of Limbo." she said to Emma while smiling softly. "And hence the need of the Evil Queen. But, just because I am not her anymore that does not mean that there are not parts of her inside of me. It does seem that her need to always be seen as a strong leader will be a part of Queen Regina as well."

"I'm not telling you to get rid of the Evil Queen." Emma said vehemently. "I have always admired that woman, ever since I read her journals. And now that I know her history I love that woman just as much as I love Queen Regina. I don't want you to be something that you're not. I want you to get your happy ending, and I will help you in doing so by being by your side. I know you, Regina, and I know that this time you will do things right. You are not the same naive young woman that you were, nor the young Queen filled with regret and a need for revenge. Now, you are my woman, my Queen."

Regina had been listening to the young woman while slowly moving towards her. She had felt the emotions pouring out of Emma, calling for her, asking her to end that imminent ache the two had experienced since the moment they acknowledged to having feelings for each other. Although Emma's magic was no longer inside of her, the desire to feel the young woman writhe under her was still there, threatening to take control of the witch. She could feel her purple magic pouring out of her, also calling for Emma's white magic, the two of them tangling together and caressing each other, almost as if the two women were physically touching each other. Regina held a moan when she saw Emma's usually green eyes be replaced with white, her magic also coming forward and demanding her to stop talking and start fucking. What she would have given to just listen to that small voice and let herself go, but she was trying her best to not do so. She wanted to make love to Emma, not fuck her, at least not the first time. And, there was something still bothering her, something that she had to show Emma before she would be able to truly believe that the blonde woman was going to stay.

"Emma..." Regina whimpered and swore she heard Emma cry as a result of her name being called in such a way. "Before we do this there is something I have to show you."

This made Emma's magic pause, given her enough time to think things clearly. "You still don't believe that I will stay?" she asked incredulously.

"I want to, believe me." the brunette admitted. "But I feel that the moment I show you what lies in the north aisle of the castle you will get your friends and leave me alone."

"Regina, how many times do I have to tell you that nothing you show me will make me love you less? But if by showing me this you will finally be convinced of the sincerity behind my words." Emma said dejectedly. "Then just show me."

"I need you to give me your hand." Regina tensely said and closed her eyes when she felt the warm contact. She thought of the north aisle and in a moment the two of them found themselves at the entrance of it.

"This place is cold." was the first thing Emma said.

"I planned it to be that way." she admitted while conjuring a fur blanket and placing it around Emma, who smiled at the gesture. "Please follow me." she motioned for them to move forward. "As Queen I had many enemies. I was not an easy ruler, and many suspected that I had something to do in Leopold's death, which meant that I was not seen as the right successor for the throne. In all honesty, at first all I wanted was to run away." she smiled sadly. "Which must make you question why after all that time under the control of Leopold, instead of leaving I decided to stay and be Queen."

"That question has crossed my mind from time to time." she confessed.

"After Leopold was dead I realized that I had nothing to go back to. The Kingdom hated me, my first love was dead, my mother was gone and my father would have followed me anywhere I went. That made me realize that ironically the only thing left for me to be was Queen. Something that Snow White also decided to take away." she laughed. "Now I know that it was her right to do so, but at the moment all I could think about was how everything I had your mother took it away from me, expecting me to give it to her as if it was nothing." Regina said angrily.

"I understand." Emma calmed the brunette.

"Because of my ascension to the throne, there were many that tried to assassinate me or infiltrate my castle. The people that were found out as traitors were sent here, to the north aisle." she gulped. "I will not lie to you, Emma. Most of them were tortured for information, they were starved and mistreated. In fact, even I took part in some important interrogations." she looked down. "Like the case of Belle."

"What happened to her?" Emma whispered, now feeling scared of the rooms that they passed with each step.

"I do not know." Regina replied honestly. "I had her captured in an enchanted room that would transport her to a similar setting in the magicless land. The moment I failed to cast my curse and got instead sent to Limbo must have been the moment all my enchantments got undone, hence allowing Belle to be free with the rest of prisoners."

"So she could be alive. She didn't die here all alone." Emma exhaled, relieved.

"Of course not." Regina replied vehemently. "No prisoner that was ever here was killed. The moment we got the information we wanted from them we gave them a forgetting potion and we allowed them to leave."

"Ok, I can understand why you would do that." Emma reasoned. "And I still love you."

"We are not done yet. There is one more room I want to show you."

"Ok." Emma said softly.

"Although my enchantments were lifted the moment I left this realm, there was this hidden room that I built in the north wing. In this room..." Regina touched some bricks that gave way to a secret passage of stairs. "I placed my most valuable belongings, the ones that in the hands of others could lead to disaster. Sometimes, when my most trusted knights asked me to, this was the place where I left their hearts while they went to war."

"You mean this is _the_ room?" Emma asked while looking around.

She had read in Regina's journal about her desire to build a secret room where she could keep her most treasured belongings. It had taken her a lot of time and magic, but the brunette was able to build a concealed room that could be also used as a hideout would the need arise. Still, to be inside the room actually caused Emma to get chills. There was an energy in the air that called for her magic to come forth.

"This is not just a room for your valuable things, is it?" Emma whispered.

"It is not." Regina smiled sadly. "During my time as Queen I did some things that I regretted, one of them was abusing of a man the same way I was abused while being married to Leopold." she murmured while taking a box out of the wall and giving it to Emma.

Emma looked down and saw that the box was simple, yet there was a power that emanated from it. She could feel soft beatings from inside of it, and knowing what she was holding she saw that Regina was avoiding her gaze, terrified of her reaction but determined to tell the blonde the truth about everything.

"The Huntsman betrayed me when he failed to kill your mother and then attempted to deceive me. He could have said no, he could have left the kingdom but instead he lied to me and failed me. The price was his heart, but in my need to somehow feel something more than abandonment, I abused of the power I had over him and manipulated him into being in an arranged relationship with me. I regret using his heart for that sole reason, but not the fact that I took it out since that was the penalty each dark knight had to pay."

Emma looked at the woman that was now in front of her. Recollections of her parents stories, the whispers she managed to hear from the servants and the village people all mentioned the evilness and darkness of the Evil Queen. To her, the woman had been a legend that intimidated and told her to never settle. Now that she was in front of said woman, after having heard how much life had tricked and manipulated her, the only thing inside Emma's heart was pure love. She realized right there that a world without Regina was no world at all, and that the two were never going to be that: two. Instead, they had become one, or at least that's how Emma saw it, when they shared True Love's kiss. The fact that she now knew everything the Evil Queen did and still her feelings did not change one bit made her understand that the two complemented each other. Instead of one of them being a hero and other a villain, what the two of them are is each others' saviors. Emma's light caressed Regina's darkness while Regina's darkness prevented the evil of the world to destroy Emma's innocence. It was tragically perfect.

"I still love you." Emma replied and saw the biggest smile appear on the brunette's face.

The moment Regina heard those words come out of her True Love's mouth she felt tears fall from her eyes. Could it really be that Emma still loved her? Not only did she believe the blonde's words, but she was at awe with how much her life had suddenly changed: She was loved, desired and respected by the same people who years before had only wanted her death. Not only that, but she had Emma also, the daughter of the woman that had told her secret: It seemed as if it was all Fate's plan, to have Snow White's secret get her first love killed so that she could be with her True Love, a woman who came from Snow White herself. Smirking at the irony of such a thing, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmness of such a discovery.

"I hear it and yet it is hard to believe." Regina said. "That after all I have experienced during my life I will finally get a chance to be happy."

"I don't approve of some of the things that you did in your past." Emma explained. "But I also understand why you did them, I understand your pain and the unfairness with which life has treated you."

"I am just expecting something to happen, as it usually tends to happen, that will tear apart all I have built. Before it was my mother, or the Dark One or the Charmings. Before I had nothing, only power, so the loss hurt but did not destroy me. Now that I found you, that I found my True Love, were I to lose you, I honestly do not think I would be able to come back from it." the brunette admitted with fear and love.

"Nothing will tear us apart." Emma promised. "For you are mine and I am yours, forever and ever." the blonde promised while sealing their deal with their magic.

Regina looked at the woman in front of her with complete awe and felt her own magic swirl out of her, pouring all her love and desire inside of Emma's and making the younger woman gasp. Emma didn't have to be told twice what to do because the moment the purple cloud passed through her, she ran towards Regina and kissed her senselessly. The coldness and darkness that had her so terrified before was simply gone, the plumpness and softness of the Queen's lips the only thing worth paying attention to. Smirking and grinding her front with Regina's, she closed her eyes.

"I need you." she moaned to the brunette who shuttered at the words the blonde had just said. "Take me to your bed, now." she finished huskily while taking residence near Regina's neck, sucking and biting as if there was no tomorrow.

"Oh my dear." Regina half-moaned, half-screamed when she saw Emma's white eyes solely focused on her. "I am going to do so much more than that." she promised and with a movement of her wrist she transported the two of them back to her bed.

The moment Emma felt the softness of Regina's bed under her, she opened her eyes and saw that the brunette was on top of her, long dark hair falling on top of her shoulders and giving the older woman an air of wisdom and maturity. Not only that, but the fact that their two cores were so close to each other gave the blonde an idea of how much Regina wanted this, how much she needed it. Deeply concentrating on the two of them being naked, Emma groaned when she felt their skin touching in all places. In fact, it seemed that Regina enjoyed the boldness because the first word that came out of her mouth cursed and then begged Emma to do more. Smirking to herself about the power she seemed to have over the brunette's needs, the blonde lowered her head and kissed the older woman passionately, lips crashing each other and hands roaming freely around their body.

While Emma was more hesitant about touching the brunette, Regina was feeling her sanity disappear with each stroke of the blonde's hand. And, to Regina's embarrassment, she still had not been touched _there_ and yet she was certain she was soaking wet. Wanting things to move faster, since it seemed that she was not going to last long anyway, Regina moved her fingers so they would land on the blonde's nipples. The effect was immediate, making the brunette smirk when she flickered them from side to side, tensing and feeling the blonde's pleasure from the way her hips were bucking under her.

"So good." Emma moaned while grabbing the brunette's face and kissing her. "Don't stop, please don't stop now."

"I do not plan to dear." Regina whispered while her hands moved to Emma's navel. "I plan to ravish you." she finished and took one breast in her mouth.

When Emma squirmed, Regina decided to stop her teasing and give the blonde the release she was craving. Quickly finding the blonde's clit, the witch started a quick pattern, soft pushes and quick pinches earning her the loudest screams from the woman under her. She had to look up and see how Emma was doing, what she was feeling and how much she was enjoying it.

"Emma, are you sure?" she asked one last time when all Emma had managed to do was nod and gasp in excitement.

"So sure... No else I want to be with other than you." she panted and that was all Regina needed before two of her fingers entered the blonde.

"Good, because I am sure no one else will ever make you feel what you are feeling." the brunette said while pumping her fingers in and out, pushing and pulling the younger woman into oblivion. "You are mine, Emma Swan." she husked while moving her thumb so it would touch the blonde's clit.

That combination was the one that made Emma reach her orgasm, and based on the way she was now arching her back, Regina assumed that it had been a powerful one. Proud of herself for making her True Love lose control in such a way, Regina continued to pump her fingers in and out of her, quickly making Emma reach a second climax.

"Goooood." Emma moaned in complete bliss. "Reginaaa."

"I love you." Regina kissed her tenderly while hugging the blonde woman close to her. "So much."

"And I love you." Emma whispered. "Like I have never loved anyone else before. You complete me." she trembled at the truthfulness and depth of her words.

Regina could feel how much those words meant to Emma, and smiling she kissed the woman tenderly, lovingly, pouring her soul and feelings out of her with that kiss. She wanted to show Emma that she was not alone, that she felt the same way about her and that no one else had made her feel that way, not even Daniel.

"Daniel was my first love." she said while staring at deep green eyes. "And I thought he was the only person I could ever love. I almost destroyed an entire population because of the pain I went through after losing him." Regina admitted. "And to now realize that what I feel for you has no comparison to what I felt for him is wonderfully terrifying. You are my life, Emma Swan." she promised.

Emma closed her eyes and felt tears pouring out of her. She had always experienced a small fear every time she heard or thought about Regina's old love. She was afraid of competing with a shadow that would never leave the memory of her True Love. She was afraid she would never be enough for Regina. But to hear her admit that she loved Emma more, to say that Emma was now her life, it gave the blonde woman all the security she needed to stay.

"Then, love of my life, let me show you how much I adore you." Emma smirked and turned the brunette woman around, wanting nothing more than to make her scream her name.

 **In the White Kingdom**

Queen Snow White was moving frantically around her room. It had been hours since Manohara left and there were still no news. She was scared. In fact, for the first time she was doubting the wizard's power. She was now hearing rumors in the castle about Regina's rebellion, about the peasants wanting to join her and fight for a new Queen. It had made her boil with anger, the fear of mutiny slowly turning her paranoid about the people surrounding her. She did not trust her council at all, a group of old men that only wanted what was best for them would surely betray her the moment someone else promised them stability. Manohara was the only one she could trust, the only one that had fought for her right to rule and be a Queen since the moment they met. He had helped her realize that uncontrolled magic was bad, and that only wise individuals should have the right to use it, just like he did. But now she was not so sure about the wizard's words. He was being tricked and deceived by Regina and her daughter, two women that were not supposed to be as smart and as powerful as he promised to be. She knew something was going on, something behind the truths and loyalty promises made by her lover. What it was she did not know, and based on the fact that other than him there was no one else that supported her, she had decided to let it slide and trust the man. Perhaps this was the time she would pay for such a rash decision.

"He is back, your Majesty." one of her guards bellowed while entering her room. "Manohara is back."

Snow rose from her throne and quickly moved forward. "Did he bring the Evil Queen and my daughter with him."

"No, your Majesty." the guard gulped. "He came alone and was injured."

"Injured?" Snow asked in complete shock. "Take me to him now."

Minutes later, Snow was still thinking of her suspicions about Manohara and his obvious weakness. One that was now a physical one since the man that was now sitting in front of her was full of injuries.

"Your Majesty." the man half-moaned. "I apologize."

"Leave us." Snow said firmly and the guards left the room. "What happened?" she asked angrily.

"They knew we were coming." Manohara lied. "They prepared an ambush for us and a fight between your people and your guards took place."

"My people betraying me?" she asked in complete shock.

"We had to kill them all." the man said somberly. "There were no survivors in the village."

"You killed an entire village?!" Snow bellowed. "That was not what I ordered you to do!"

"It was what had to be done." Manohara said firmly. "They saw me use my magic."

"Magic that didn't seem to aid you in any way for here you are injured and without the Evil Queen or my daughter."

"Your daughter has magic." the man spat. "Pure and powerful magic."

"My daughter has no magic." Snow stuttered. "She never showed signs of possessing it."

"Well, let me be the first one to tell you that your daughter has the most powerful magic of all. She has the magic of True Love in all of its phases." the man smirked darkly.

"In all of its phases. I do not understand."

"She is the product of True Love, which is something that would make her already have magic. But, to also have True Love, and with another magical being, is another component that enhances her magic."

"My daughter has found her True Love?" Snow whispered.

"Indeed she has." Manohara smirked. "And she possesses magic as well, powerful dark magic."

"Do you know who this woman is? Was she with them?" Snow asked, confused and lost for the first time in a long time.

"Oh, you know who this woman is." Manohara smiled. "In fact, everyone knows her for her famous title."

This made Snow look at the wizard with fear and sorrow. She could see how much he was enjoying this turn of events, the irony behind this discovery. His glee made her only fear that he was not lying to her and that these horrible news were indeed true.

"No. You are trying to deceive me." she spat. "For there is no chance that the Evil Queen would have a True Love."

"Well it seems that she does." he smiled. "And that said love is no else than your daughter, Princess Emma White of the White Kingdom."

Snow flinched at that statement and felt her own anger and hate rise. This certainly messed her plans and if the two of them had already consumed their love there was no way she could get Prince Killian to marry her daughter.

"My daughter cannot love the Evil Queen." Snow said firmly. "She must certainly be under a spell."

"Magic cannot make someone fall in love with another." he said. "What she feels is real and true." he smirked.

"Then we will have to make her forget she feels this." Snow whispered darkly. "My daughter will not be in love with the Evil Queen." she promised. "And you, Manohara, will help me achieve this." she finished somberly.

* * *

 **P.S**

My Emma is more forgiving about things as murder and abduction because she was born in the Enchanted Forest so she knows that things tend to be like that there (unlike the Emma from Storybrooke who is used to freedom and democracy and equal rights).

Snow is a bitch in my story hehe, so don't expect her to be sweet and nice about things. Sorry to those who like a Snow White, I do too, but for the purposes of this story she is the Villain.

For the purposes of this story, Captain Hook and Prince Killian are two different characters.


	14. Strategies and Plans

**Author's Note:** 2 chapters in one day? Yay and I hope you like this one as well. Reviews are always welcomed. As I mentioned earlier, no Beta so all mistakes are mine. A review from a guest said that Emma's last name would not be White because that is not her father's last name. Although that is true, in this land he is a consort, which means that Snow is the true Queen. I would assume that the heir to the throne would have to carry the lineage last name instead of the consort's one.

* * *

 **At the Dark Castle**

"Oh Emma!" Regina screamed after she felt the blonde's tongue softly teasing her entrance. "Please do not tease me." she begged.

Emma smirked at the tone with which the brunette was talking to her. They had spent most of the night making love, teasing each other and promising eternal love and devotion to one another. She had never felt so connected while having sex, and all the pleasure that she made Regina feel she was almost certain she could feel it herself. That deep was their connection and bond. The older woman had cried the first time she reached her climax, and at first that had made Emma be scared, her thoughts making her believe that she had hurt the witch or done something wrong. Her fears were immediately eliminated by Regina, who had professed her love and taken matter into her own hands, or her tongue more specifically, to return the favor. She was still worried about Cora, about her mother and what would happen in a couple of hours when they met the people that had reached the Dark Castle. Nevertheless, the two had unconsciously agreed to only think of themselves and their love. They were sure that the path that was going to begin soon was not going to be an easy one, and that war was not a place for love and tenderness. The war with their mothers was not going to be an easy one to win, and there was also the fact that they did not want to kill them, something that their progenitors didn't seem to mind at all.

Emma moved up from her spot in Regina's legs and kissed her deeply, letting Regina taste herself. She wanted to be close to the older woman's face, she wanted to see her at each moment, wanted to see the way her eyes shone after reaching oblivion and the way her body trembled with small spasms. She loved the witch so much that it filled her whole heart, the pieces that had been destroyed by her parents and their lies softly filling themselves with the love Regina offered her so freely, so easily and tenderly.

"I need to see your face." Emma explained when the brunette whimpered at having felt the lost of the blonde's tongue.

Nodding in understanding, Regina moved one hand and cupped the younger woman's face, caressing it tenderly while in the middle of their passionate love-making. Were it someone else, the moment would have been awkward and uncalled for, but with Emma it made complete sense. The two of them could mix passion and love as if they were not water and oil, or day and night, since the two of them were also like that. One dark, one light, one a hero another a villain and yet here they were, loving and caressing each other since the moment they shared all their secrets with each other. It made Regina's heart soar to imagine her possible future with Emma, the two of them just living at peace and not having a single worry in the world, sharing mundane things like waking up at dawn, or going to bed as soon as the moon rose on the sky so they could spend most of the night making love. It was a far-away future, but it gave the brunette hope to wish to share something like that with her True Love. When she was young she was scared of dying because she felt she had not lived the life she wanted to. When she was the Evil Queen she asked for death to take her because there was no reason for her to live, no person with whom she could share all she achieved. But now she only wanted to live, she wanted to win, so she could start that part of her future that was reserved for only Emma and herself: No unfit mothers, no kingdom to save, no peasants to appease and no lies and deceits coming from every corner.

"I love you." Regina gasped when she felt adept fingers caressing her clit tenderly. "I love you Emma." she ranted with each movement.

"Me too." Emma panted, the brunette having lowered her hand so she could also give the blonde the same treatment she was receiving.

"I am close." Regina cried when she felt her body quiver with desire. Quickly moving her fingers so Emma could be at the same position she was, she muffled a cry when the blonde pinched her clit and kissed her deeply.

"Oh... oh... ohhhhh." Emma moaned at the stimulation and felt her body let go of all the pent-up passion it had accumulated.

"Emma!" the brunette screamed and came too, softly falling on top of Emma who had her eyes closed and a silly smile on her face. "You look happy." she managed to say from the blonde's neck. "Good morning darling."

"Good morning indeed." Emma smirked. "And I am ecstatic." she beamed to the brunette who chuckled. "I never knew that sex could feel like this." she said with complete awe. "I mean, I guess it is because my other times it was all about getting release, but this time it was so much more than that. I _wanted_ to be with you in every possible way, I wanted to have this bond with you too. I wanted you to have every part of me." she finished and got surprised by her honesty and rambling.

Regina smiled warmly, loving the dorkiness and profound love that her girlfriend kept showing the brunette each time they shared or lived an important event. "You are my True Love, which means that we are connected in the best way. We were destined to meet and love each other, hence each connecting act done in the name of True Love solidifies said love. That, and the fact that we are also two magical beings also amplifies our feelings and emotions."

"So basically making love between each other will always be earth-shattering because we are two magical beings that have True Love."

"In a matter of speaking, yes." Regina smirked. "And talking about sex, you are definitely not a virgin."

"I was 16 and I thought I was in love with my tutor." she looked down in embarrassment. "Turns out the whole experience was just weird and awkward."

"I am sorry." the brunette said while softly kissing the blonde. "My first time was also not a good one."

The thought of Regina's first time made the younger woman feel anger towards her grandfather. She could only imagine what the witch must have felt, how terrified she must have been. She wouldn't be surprised if she learned that her grandfather did not care at all about her feelings and of treating Regina tenderly. Knowing how men usually were when it came to them thinking of women as their property instead of their companion, she imagined that the man only cared about his own satisfaction.

"I'm sorry too." Emma replied tenderly.

"The past is in the past." the brunette smiled sadly. "And what I just felt with you was just too magical for it to be ruined by the memories of a tutor and Leopold."

Emma nodded and kissed the woman chastely. "I don't want to get out of this bed to be honest."

Regina laughed loudly. "You are insatiable."

"You're an addiction Regina Mills." the blonde teased her and earned a soft smack from the woman on her butt. "And a pervert too."

"Why would I be a pervert when I am touching what you hours ago said belongs to me?" she smirked.

"Just because it's yours that doesn't mean that you can just take it." Emma pouted in mock anger. "But knowing myself I wouldn't mind if you did that again as long as you are touching me."

Regina laughed again at the blonde's antics and hugged her tightly, enjoying the easiness that came with knowing Emma so well. She had never been this carefree when it came to sex, in fact, the moment she was done she made the other man or woman disappear. She hated cuddling and sharing her bed, preferring to take a long bath and then rest. But here she was now with Emma, after having spent the whole night together, their sweat mixed with sex on their bodies and not a single care in the world. It made Regina smile.

"Well, although I would love to spend the day in this bed, having my wicked way with you, we are expected to make an appearance. And knowing Eugenia, the fact that she has not pounded the door is certainly surprising."

Smirking, Emma nodded and got up from the bed, her glorious nakedness making Regina forget what she was going to say next. The only thing on her mind at the moment was Emma.

"Like what you see?" Emma teased.

"I love what I see." Regina replied breathlessly and also got out from the bed, her own nakedness now making Emma stop smiling. "And it seems that you are in the same predicament I am."

Emma noticed the lustful tone behind her girlfriend's words, and knowing that they would not get out of this room as soon as the brunette had wanted to, she decided to give her a solution.

"We could certainly share a bath." she winked at the brunette who with a wrist of her hand filled the bathtub with water. "You have to teach me that trick." the blonde laughed and ran to the bathroom. "Last one has to sit next to Granny and she's a werewolf!"

Laughing at her girlfriend's playfulness, Regina decided that there was one thing she was currently scared off and that was the idea of having Granny smell Emma on her. This thought made her fasten her pace and squeal when strong arms grabbed her from behind.

"Now, how about we wash each other?" Emma said darkly and kissed Regina deeply, who closed her eyes and nodded in surrender. The meeting would have to wait a little longer.

SQSQSQSQSQ

"What if something happened to them?" Red asked while eating some bread. "I mean, we haven't seen them since they disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke."

"What happened to them is none of our business child." Granny huffed while drinking some milk. "And besides it isn't hard to imagine what happened based on the looks those two have been giving each other."

Red gulped at the pun and started to laugh loudly. "Well, at least they haven't completely forgotten about our presence since it seems that we have food."

Granny nodded and softly continued eating, thoughts about what lay ahead for them making her want to enjoy this time with her granddaughters. She was certain that in the near future there would be no other opportunities for them to spend time as a family. Family with the Evil Queen, that made the old woman smirk at the irony of such a thing. But it would be impossible for her to deny that the witch had not changed, all seemingly thanks to Emma's love. Damn, True Love can surely work miracles, Granny thought after hearing the soft murmurs and kisses that definitely came from the two witches.

"Stop eating each other and come have breakfast with us!" Red screamed and heard some soft apologies and promises.

The two women entered the room and while Emma was happily walking towards the table, well, more jumping because of her high spirits, Regina was looking down in embarrassment at having been caught making out with her girlfriend.

"Good morning." Emma said happily to Red and Granny. "It's such a beautiful day."

"You tell me." Red teased. "You are glowing."

Emma merely winked at her godmother and that made the two women laugh. Quietly, and a little embarrassed, Regina sat next to Emma and started to drink some milk.

"Don't be embarrassed Regina." Red smiled softly. "Emma and I have always been quite open with each other about everything."

"We know that with everything you mean sex." Granny huffed while getting some cheese. "The two fools were never careful about who could hear them."

"Granny is just upset because she had to hear Ruby tell me all about some guy she met a few years ago." Emma teased the old woman.

"Oh yeah, that was a good one." the younger brunette smirked. "Besides, based on all those dresses you wore, you cannot tell me that you are embarrassed."

Regina almost choked when the werewolf said that, earning herself the laughs of the three other women that were on the table.

"I am certainly not embarrassed by those things." the witch muttered. "What does embarrass me is having my girlfriend's family know what we do."

"Oh, don't feel that way." Emma kissed the brunette chastely. "They are doing this because they can see how happy I am. I always hated to talk about my sex life because I always felt embarrassed by it or the people I did it with. But with you I just want to scream it to anyone who would listen."

"Well, don't." Granny said. "We don't want the rest of people to know about your nocturnal activities with their future Queen."

"Rest of people?" Emma asked.

"There are a lot of people out there." Red told the women who looked at each other and gulped. "I honestly didn't expect to see so many of them."

"People are upset and angry, they want change." Emma simply replied. She then looked at Regina. "You can do this."

"What if they do not want me to be Queen?" Regina asked, showing to the two werewolves for the first time how scared she was of being rejected by others.

"They are here." Red replied instead of Emma. "They came to the Dark Castle even after the White Kingdom threatened to kill anyone who did so."

"You are not the same woman they knew 18 years ago." Granny said softly. "Show them that. Show them you want to be better and that you can help them."

"I will be with you each step of the way." Emma promised her. "Either as a knight of your army or your significant other. It all depends on you and what you want to tell the people."

Regina looked at the three women in front of her and for the first time felt that she was being supported and loved for who she was; no lies and secrets between them. She knew that this was the time for new beginnings, for honesty to be seen and given by the monarchs and the people. She had to start that in the right direction.

"I will not hide my relationship with you, Emma. I am proud of you and what we have." the brunette decided.

"Good." Emma replied while approaching the brunette. "Then make a good speech so I can kiss you at the end of it."

Regina laughed. "That is encouraging, although after we are done I would like a _deeper_ compensation."

"And I want to not have good hearing but we can't always have what we want." Granny said exasperated but still gave the two women a smile. "Now go knock them dead."

"I want the three of you with me." the witch admitted. "At the roof."

"We can definitely do that." Red smiled softly and followed the young couple.

SQSQSQSQSQSQ

"Maybe they were captured." one woman said while looking at her husband. "If the Queen finds out that we are here we will surely be killed."

"Death is better than living under this kingdom." a younger man said from not far away. "Besides, the Evil Queen said that she would be here in a week. Until the day is over I will believe that she will make it."

"And I thank you..." a loud and strong voice said from the balcony of the Dark Castle. "For having such faith in me and my companions."

The moment those words were said the people looked up and saw the Evil Queen in all her splendor. Many heard the rumors spread by their knights, of how she had changed and wanted to redeem herself by helping her people. But what none had said was that 18 years had passed and the woman looked just as she did when she was queen, not a day older.

"Is that Red Riding Hood?" a man whispered to her brother and saw the characteristic red cape that identified the woman.

"Yeah, and I'm sure the older woman is her Granny." his brother replied back.

"And who is the blonde that is standing right next to her?" a woman asked too loudly and everyone silently waited at the sure punishment she would get for being so bold. Instead, what they heard was the four women laughing and teasing the blonde one, who merely shrugged.

"Well, it does seem that the current Queen and King have not done a good job at introducing you to royalty. This is Emma White, princess and heir of the White Kingdom, now also Knight of the Dark Kingdom."

The announcement did what was expected and instantly murmurs started to be heard, some of them being completely shocked at the presence of the blonde, others suspicious of her for being here and the rest merely expecting the former queen to explain what was happening.

"I am sure many of you have many questions. Most of you must be wondering where I have been for the last 18 years. My absence was Fate's mere desire at making me atone for my past sins. The moment I came back was a little more than a week ago, and in that moment I was almost killed by the famous runaway princess. At the time I had no idea of who she was, but something told me that I had to help her." the people saw the queen stare lovingly at the blonde who grabbed her hand. "When I found out days later that my friend was the princess Emma White, I thought about leaving her and make my way to the edge of the White Kingdom. Nevertheless, there was something in her eyes that told me to stay and at the end that was what I did. While helping her escape, I saw the many injustices and poverty you have been put through. I saw the unfairness of the Queen's royal army, I saw the mistreatment and poor conditions your villages are and I want to do something about that."

"Why should we trust you?" one brave man said. "Last time you were queen you killed anyone who supported Snow White."

"You are right. I was consumed by anger and revenge, my sole goal was to kill Snow White and anyone else just became collateral damage." she admitted. "But I currently have no desire to kill her or anyone else."

"How can we believe that a vendetta you possessed during your whole time as queen suddenly disappeared?" a woman asked.

"Well, I cannot kill the mother of the woman I love." Regina simply replied and this got the shocked whispers of the people outside the castle. "I know most of you are adamant about my motives, but if I can be honest with all of you, I am not only doing this for you. I am doing this also for Emma, for the woman I love and want to be able to live happily. She convinced me to come here, to talk to you and ask you to trust me to believe in me. I always believed that forgiveness was too much to ask from all of you. But well, here I am, which means that she won that discussion." the brunette teased and the people laughed with her. "I want to do things differently, I want you all to have a voice and I want to correct old wrongdoings. I want to show that magic is not evil or good, that people are not only heroes or villains and that we have the potential of being a better place for our children. But I cannot do this without you." she looked at the three women right next to her, who nodded in encouragement and she then focused on the people outside. "If we want to do this then we will need to do it together. I cannot and will not rule people that do not want me to rule them." she finished and there was only silence between the people.

"Long Live Queen Regina!" Anthony screamed and the Dark Knights screamed back.

After that, all the people started to scream it too, the soft murmurs quickly turning to loud and enthusiastic movements and chants. Regina looked at all of this with tears in her eyes, finding it impossible to believe that the people wanted her back, that they had forgiven and given her another chance. She felt strong arms hold her, and instead of pushing the comfort away, she held on tightly and cried the tears that had been threatening to come out from the moment she heard Anthony scream his support.

"You were magnificent, my Queen." Emma said softly while kissing her neck.

"I cannot believe they will give me another chance." Regina murmured.

"They will do so because deep down they know that apart from the whole killing Snow White thing you were a good and smart ruler." the blonde teased her and Regina laughed. "But you do need to get them to stop screaming so you can explain how you plan to take the kingdom back."

"That is why I have magic dear." the brunette teased her back and a purple cloud of smoke poured out of her fingers, earning the immediate silence of the people.

"Thank you." Regina smiled softly. "For your support and for being here. I asked you to come because I have a plan to take the kingdom back and make the necessary changes for it to be a better one. In order to do so, I will need your help as well."

"What do we need to do?" a man asked.

"I want you to find the people from your village, after that each group such as blacksmiths, farmers and so on will choose a leader. That leader will then meet with the other chosen leaders and a representative of said coalition will come to the castle and sit at the royal council. That way, there will be no secrets between the crown and the people while also allowing me to know your troubles and situations from up-close and personal."

The crowd started to excitedly murmur about this, pleasantly surprised at this turn of events and how this could work out in favor of them and their interests.

"The moment all representatives are selected do let one of my guards know so we can have a meeting and plan. Although we are many, Snow White has all resources from the monarchy and magic as well. We need to be careful and quick." she continued explaining.

"Are you sure it's a good idea for Regina to share so much stuff with them?" Red whispered to Emma. "What if Snow has a spy between them."

"There is the possibility of that happening." Emma whispered back. "Which is why we decided to have all the professions choose one representative. It is way easier to give a truth potion to 15 men than to 100 of them."

"I don't like it but I understand what she is trying to achieve." Granny murmured. "In order to earn their trust she has to show them that she trusts them too. Luckily, people that have never been used to being asked what they want usually don' know what to do once they are given the choice. This helps Regina cement her position as their ruler."

"Shit, Regina is super smart about politics." Red huffed.

"Regina was taught how to be a Queen." Emma merely shrugged. "She knows how the game works and how to play it best."

"Now, you are free to move around the castle and the forest until you reach a decision. I will be holding the meeting in three hours so please do hurry." Regina finished. "And, I would like for all my guards to meet me at the training barracks." the brunette turned around and approached the three women who were in a deep discussion. "What seems to be the matter?"

"Worrying about Snow having spies down there."

"Most certainly." Regina replied. "But just like Emma told you, we planned to have representatives because that way we can ensure they are loyal to us."

"So you could hear everything?" Emma teased.

"Indeed I could." Regina smiled and kissed the blonde woman softly. "Now, we need to meet with my guards and see what they have to tell us about the kingdom."

"Well, if you poof us that will not take long." Emma said.

"Perhaps you should try to 'poof' us darling." the witch said. "It is a rather easy spell once you learn it."

"Alright, what do I need to do?"

"Just think of the place where you want to be, imagine it as best as possible in your mind and then close your eyes and wish for us to be there." Regina shrugged.

"That doesn't sound so hard." Emma smiled. "Except that I don't know how the training barracks look like."

"Well, I can certainly help you with that." the brunette teased and touched the blonde with one hand.

Emma smiled warmly. "You are doing the projection spell."

"Yes dear." Regina smiled. "Now take us there."

The blonde nodded, and after concentrating on where she wanted to go she closed her eyes and the four women immediately found themselves in front of the Dark Knights.

"Your Majesty." Anthony said while bowing down, along with the rest of the soldiers. "It's a pleasure to see you back."

"Thank you Anthony." Regina replied softly. "It is good to see you all as well."

"Your Majesty." a woman bowed in front of her.

"Evelyne!" Regina said happily and hugged the woman who shrieked surprised at the contact. "It is so nice to see you alive and well."

"Thank you your Majesty." the woman said while softly blushing and going to the back.

"Your Majesty." another man went forward and smiled warmly at the brunette who returned the gesture.

"Sebastian." she also hugged the man. "Thank you for being here."

"There is nowhere else I would rather be your Majesty." he also blushed and fell back.

"Your guards certainly like to blush." Emma joked.

"They are not used to seeing me in such a way." Regina replied softly. "I told you they were my most loyal protectors and closest friends. Nevertheless, I never showed them how much I cared about them."

"Dorian." Regina smiled brightly when she saw the now not so young man bow down in front of her. "You are looking old." she teased him.

The knight laughed. "And you are looking just as glorious as always." he winked.

"Hey, watch it." Emma half-joked and half-threatened the man who rose his hands in surrender. "And thank you for being here."

"And thank you for keeping our Queen save and happy." the man smiled and this made Emma immediately like him.

Once the four knights had finished their bows, Regina looked around and got a sad nod from Anthony, who immediately understood who they were looking for.

"No one has seen Tauriel in a while." the guard answered. "She got married and had a child after you disappeared."

"Then it is understandable she is not here." Regina smiled softly. "She has a family to think about." she then turned and looked at the rest of soldiers. "I want you all to prepare the training barracks for new recruits. We need more soldiers if we want to be successful. Do not worry about weapons and provisions for I can magically acquire all of these things for you. My Elite Army will be present at the meeting and after it is done they will update you." she finished and left with the four women and three men.

"Nice to see you alive and well Anthony." Emma fist-pumped him.

"And it is nice to see you too Princess Emma." the man replied with a smile. "We all heard about the first village you escaped from."

"What have you been able to find out?" Regina asked the group.

"The Queen started to recruit more people from the villages to fight." Evelyne said. "Even children."

Emma looked down in shame at her mother's actions and got a strong hold on her hand as a sign of support and understanding.

"There are some rumors going around the castle." Dorian smirked and winked. "I got told from a trustworthy source that King David is no longer in the White Caste. He left in search of her daughter."

"My dad is coming here?"

"He apparently wants to convince you of returning to the White Kingdom so your mother does not execute you."

"Wonderful." Emma replied sarcastically. "My father, again, being a pawn in my mother's games."

"Most of the villages near the Dark Forest have been blockaded by Royal Guards. Queen Snow does not want anyone to come."

"Those are good news for us." Regina muttered to herself while reaching the royal council room and quickly opening the door. In front of her she saw a group of 13 people patiently waiting for her, all, except one, looking nervously at each other. The moment Regina's gaze fell on him she felt herself freeze and shock and could see that Emma, through their connection, was able to feel everything she was experiencing.

The moment the man saw her he rose from his chair and walked towards her, his pace a little slower than before but still as determined as it always was. The years did go past him, and instead of the usual brown beard she could see some traces of white hair on it. But his eyes were still the same eyes she remembered, the same ones she had seen staring at her angrily, dispassionately and unlovingly. She was not ready for this, her anger and hatred at remembering the way he betrayed her all those years ago making her mistrust his presence right away. She had to get rid of him as soon as possible.

"Your Majesty." the man bowed and took her hand and kissed it.

Emma looked at the exchange between them and angrily saw how the man kissed her girlfriend's hand tenderly, almost like a caress. She was ready to go ask him if he knew what he was doing and with whom he was doing it but she stopped the moment she heard the brunette speak.

"Huntsman."

 **At the White Kingdom**

"What do you mean you cannot do the spell?!" Snow angrily asked Manohara.

"It is not a spell but a potion what you need." he said while standing up. "And I cannot do it because I don't have the ingredients."

"Then I can get them for you." Snow replied, ready to call a guard to take the order.

"They are magical ingredients." he replied. "Ingredients that are now extinct thanks to the Sorcerers' Wars."

"Then there is no way I can get my daughter to forget the Evil Queen?" Snow asked defeated.

"I didn't say that." Manohara smiled. "I just said that _I_ cannot help you. But we both know there is someone that can not so far from here. One that already helped you with this same potion many years ago."

Snow smiled and nodded in understanding, quickly leaving the wizard behind and not stopping herself until she reached the Dark One's magic cell.

"Your Majesty." the man smirked when she saw the woman. "What can I do for you?"

"I need a forgetting potion." the White Queen merely said. "Just like the one you gave me when I wanted to forget about David."

"Your wizard does not have the ingredients to make it?" the Dark One teased knowingly.

"He doesn't." she confirmed. "And how do you know about him."

" _He_ visited me a few days ago." he confided while smirking. "But that does not matter. What matters is what you will give me if I agree to make the potion."

"I will give you that book you wanted." Snow promised.

"I don't want that anymore." he laughed. "New deal, new price to pay."

"What do you want?" Snow asked.

"I want my freedom." he replied.

"That I will not do."

"Then there is no deal." he laughed. "I know you need this if you want your sweet Emma to forget all about her fighting and revolutionary vendetta so she can be the perfect daughter that will marry Prince Killian." he smirked at her. "That will not happen until she forgets who she truly is."

Snow looked at the wizard and realized that he was right, as he always seemed to be. The only way Emma would leave Regina was if she never knew that she was in love with her.

"Will she forget about the Evil Queen?"

"She may see her face to face and there would still be no recollection of her."

"Can True Love's kiss break the spell?"

"How can there be True Love if one of them does not recognize the other." the Dark One smiled dangerously.

"Will my daughter suffer any kind of repercussions that would prevent her from fulfilling her marital duties with Prince Killian?"

"Not a single one." the wizard promised. "So, your Majesty..." the Dark One tainted her. "A forgetting potion in exchange of my freedom." he repeated the terms of the contract.

"You are free but you cannot come to the White Kingdom ever again."

The Dark One stared at her for a second without saying anything and then laughed loudly, making Snow White be a little scared.

"I accept your proposition." the Dark One smirked. "Which only leaves us this question: Do we have a deal?"

* * *

 **P.S:** My Regina will be a political genius because she is that amazing hahaha.


	15. Transparency

**Author's Note:** Yay to new chapter! Lots of things happening and I want to thank you all for following/favoriting this story. Reviews truly make my day and make me want to write and update faster. We are nearing the peak of the climax in the storyline :)

* * *

 **At the Dark Castle**

"Huntsman." Regina whispered while taking her hand out of his, feeling repulsed by his kiss and the look in his eyes while doing so.

"What is he doing here?" Emma asked while magicking her sword and protectively placing herself in front of Regina. "Who allowed him to enter this room?"

"He was selected by his people as a representative of the remaining magical beings." a Dark Knight told the angry princess.

"I don't care if he was elected, he will leave this castle, this kingdom and my woman alone!" Emma bellowed, gaining the shocked attention of all the people in the room. "You are a real bastard." she spat at the man. "To have the nerve to come here as if you did nothing wrong."

"I did nothing wrong." the huntsman said while facing Regina. "Perhaps you would allow me to speak with you. Privately." he looked at Emma while saying the last part.

Emma couldn't believe what she was seeing. Right in front of her, after hearing that Regina was with her, the man was flirting with the woman she loved. She was now not only angry, but she was almost sure that if need be she would kill the man without feeling sorry about it.

"Of course you did! You betrayed your Queen!" Anthony said, also as upset as Emma.

Emma smiled thankfully at him, understanding that she needed as much support as possible if she wanted to take this man out of the Royal Council. She didn't care about the truth potion, or the fact that Regina had his heart to control him, she just wanted him out.

"An action that saved your mother." the huntsman smirked while looking at Emma. "I believe you should be the last person complaining about my past actions."

"I am complaining because I don't trust you. Perhaps you are a spy of my mother and you were sent here to kill the woman I love." Emma moved her sword so it could touch his neck. "So you see my predicament here, how can I trust a known liar and deceiver?"

"The Queen." he looked at Regina. "Possesses something that can ensure my loyalty towards her."

Regina flinched at the remainder and immediately made a black box appear out of thin air. She placed a hand on Emma's shoulder, asking her to lower her weapon. When the blonde did so, she gave it to the huntsman who immediately closed his eyes at the feeling of finally having his heart in his hands.

"Many years ago I did a mistake. I abused of my power and for that I apologize. You are right, I could have kept your heart and controlled you with it. But, I honestly do not want anything to do with you, huntsman. For that reason, and as a promise I did, I return you your heart and I ask you to leave my kingdom." Regina said while turning around and facing one of his Elite guards. "Dorian will accompany you until you reach the border of the forest."

"But..." the huntsman started to say. "I am here because I want to fight, I made a mistake too."

"While I appreciate your willingness to fight, I simply cannot trust you huntsman. I said earlier that I wanted transparency in the council meetings. That cannot be achieved with you being present in them."

"My people will not stand for this." he threatened her.

"Then we will fight without your people." Emma said darkly.

"No, please wait." the huntsman said while being pushed by Dorian. "This is not the way I wanted to explain myself. I wanted to apologize for what happened."

"And you are forgiven." Regina replied tersely. "And I hope that someday you find it in yourself to forgive me as well. But just because I forgave your betrayal that does not mean I have forgotten it."

"You are asking us all to give you a second chance." the man whispered vehemently. "Yet you are refusing to give me one."

"That's not the same thing you bastard." Emma screamed, seeing what the man was trying to do. "And you are such a snake, attempting to use Regina's words in front of the other people so you can manipulate her into keeping you here."

"Emma." Red approached her. "Perhaps he could be helpful."

"No Red! I will not let the man that hurt the woman I love be near her." she said vehemently to her godmother.

"But he has the favor of the remaining magical beings, that could be helpful." Granny intervened.

"You two are werewolves, you are magical beings while he is a mere huntsman."

"We are seen as traitors by our people." Red whispered. "They will never trust us or allow us to speak for them."

"I don't care. They can choose someone else to lead them." Emma whispered.

"They will only want me to lead them." the man smiled. "Hence it seems you are in a predicament of sorts."

"There is no predicament." Emma spat at him. "For I prefer to take my chances fighting without your people than having you be a member of the royal council."

"And is that the right thing to do?" he looked at Regina. "Are you willing to risk the lives of your people by not allowing me to be here? I am willing to do anything necessary to prove my loyalty towards you."

Regina looked down, needing to think what she could do. The man was right, she was the Queen and she had to do what was best for her people, and if that meant having the huntsman in her royal council then that was what she was going to do. Because of their connection, Emma felt what Regina was thinking.

"No Regina, we don't need him." she whispered vehemently. "You don't have to do this."

"Regina does not want to do this." she whispered sadly. "But Queen Regina has to do what is best for her people. And I am afraid that the position of Red and Eugenia inside the magical beings' world has been compromised."

"Please Regina." the blonde begged. "I can feel everything you're feeling right now. I don't like this at all."

"Neither do I." she murmured. "But it seems that we will have to find the way to make this work until we find something that can make us force him to leave."

"Your Majesty." Anthony approached the two women. "I agree with Princess Emma. I don't like this and he already betrayed you. You have every right to refrain him from joining the council based on that."

"But then that would make my previous words about second chances become lies." Regina said exasperated. "The man played his cards right and there is nothing we can do to keep him out of this council." the brunette then looked at the man who was still being restrained by Dorian. "You will be allowed to stay huntsman. But the moment your loyalty towards this kingdom is doubted you will be killed." she promised him.

The man nodded in understanding and approached Regina, who flinched at the movement. Noticing this, he separated a bit, deciding to bend on one knee. "I promise you, your Majesty, to fight and die for you. You have my sword and my heart if you wish them."

"I neither wish nor require them." Regina whispered darkly. "Your position in this council is a formality and an act of trust and communication. Do not take it as an invitation." she left him alone and approached the other people in the room. "I apologize for keeping you waiting and I welcome you to our first royal meeting." she motioned for everyone to sit down. "Now, as you are aware, Queen Snow White is trying to destroy this rebellion. Because of this, we will have to take some measures that will help us prevent spies from detailing the things we discuss in these meetings." she pointed towards Emma who approached her and took the hand she had extended towards her. "Princess Emma and I will use magic to create a truth potion. I ask all of you to drink it before we start asking you questions about your motives for being here and where your loyalty lies." Regina finished and with a wrist of their joined hands the two conjured 13 cups that appeared in front of them.

Regina saw how all the people in the room took a cup and drank from it, making the nervousness that came from both, Emma and herself, dissipate. She could feel Emma's fear towards her safety, the jealousy she was experiencing about having the huntsman be a part of this and the insecurity of a past lover being able to threaten her position in Regina's life. Wanting to reassure her girlfriend that she had nothing to fear, the witch opened her mind and with a touch of their hands passed to Emma all of the emotions she experienced while they made love the first time. She shared the excitement, the fear of hurting the blonde, the doubt of not being able to satisfy her and the love she felt every time she felt the young woman moving on top of her. She reminded Emma of the words they spoke to each other, of the promises they made and of the literal magic that occurred each time they kissed. She smiled happily at the memories, at the reminders that there was someone in this world that loved her just as she was and that wanted to be with her just as much as she wanted to be with that person. Emma was the culmination of the darkness and sadness her life previously had, and the beginning of the light and happiness their future together could have, would have.

When Emma felt Regina's hand squeeze her tightly, she saw the flow of memories and emotions that came pouring out of the brunette. She saw, through Regina's eyes, their first time together and almost cried at the intensity of the witch's emotions. She felt the love, the fear of doing something wrong and the hope of finally being able to love someone again. She also confirmed that all of what she had been feeling while making love was reciprocated by Regina, and that her promises were heard and cherished by the older woman, who had been lied and deceived many times before. It always amazed Emma how it was still possible for Regina to be able to trust and open her heart after all the crappiness it experienced. It made her see that there was one common thing that defined Regina: She was a woman that loved fiercely, and that said love was responsible for her responses towards life. The love she felt towards her mother was the one that made her accept all the abuse the older woman gave her. The love she felt towards her father was the one she used to try to balance the punishment she received from her mother. The love she had felt for a stableman had led to her being deceived and to become the Evil Queen. After that, lack of love moved her towards that path of destruction and was what finally made her be willing to cast the Curse. And now here she was, sitting right next to her, telling her without words that those loves were, and are nothing, in comparison to what she now feels for Emma, for her True Love.

Regina smiled when she felt Emma's magic respond to her, promising her that the feelings they had just shared were precious and returned in the same way. It was still such a wonderful thing to see how raw and natural the blonde's magic was and how it reacted to her own magic.

"Thank you, for drinking this potion. Now, I ask each one of you to answer me this question: Are you currently a spy of the Queen Snow White?"

Thankfully, and although Emma had wished for the huntsman to fail the test, all the people in the room answered that they were not spies.

"Is your position here in this royal council dangerous towards the rebellion and Queen Regina?" Emma asked.

Again, all the people in the room answered no and Emma exhaled, relieved and happy at seeing that the people really wanted Regina to lead them.

"Although you are telling us the truth, we are expecting spies between your people and we would not blame them for being one. We understand that the current living conditions are terrible and that this rebellion may or may not succeed. Some people need things that the monarchy can provide for them in exchange for their services and that is why we are implementing these security measures." Regina said while standing up. "What we talk in this room will be strictly confidential unless previously agreed. We will all be put through a binding spell that enforces us to not reveal to anyone outside this council about the things we discuss while we are here. What you will tell your people will be updates about rules established and any other pertinent matters." she continued while looking at each member. "I promised transparency, and that is a promise I intend to keep, but you must understand that at this moment it is best if we keep the locations of weapons, or identities of soldiers and magical objects, in a need to know basis." the room nodded in agreement.

"What should we tell our people then, your Majesty?" one old man asked.

"You shall tell them that you met the other members of the Royal Council and that we discussed future measures for the rebellion, measures that will be informed when the time comes. You will also remind them that this is a time of danger for all of us, hence we strongly suggest them to avoid leaving the Dark Castle and the Dark Forest. Provisions like food, clothes and shelter will be provided for all of you, and I would like to ask each of you to tell your men or women if they want to volunteer for the army. Children not older than 16 years old will not be allowed to enlist and men with families will be given the choice to join. All the rest that are older than 16 and have no family of their own will be expected to be at the training barracks tomorrow morning." Regina said and got another confirmation nod.

"Also, men and/or women that are older than 35 years old will not be accepted. Although we admire your bravery and loyalty, it would be better to keep these people in the village and get them to start working in their daily activities. That way, we will have capable hands at our home and capable men fighting." Emma said and Regina nodded in affirmation.

"Your Majesty." Evelyne interrupted them and bend down so that only Regina could hear her. "There is someone that wishes to speak to you."

"You will have to tell them that I am in a meeting with my royal council." the brunette whispered back.

"I believe you will want to adjourn this meeting and talk with your royal guests." the knight whispered back and stood up.

Emma looked at Regina questionably, wanting to know what her knight had just told the witch since it had obviously surprised her. Standing up from her chair, the brunette looked at her royal council and decided that there was nothing left to say.

"Now that we have agreed to all of these measures..." Regina said. "This meeting is adjourned. Thank you for your loyalty and bravery." she finished and got a 'Long Live Queen Regina' from the people in the room.

Smirking to herself, she grabbed Emma's hand and took her out of the room, the two immediately being followed by the Elite Army and Red and Granny.

"What just happened?" the blonde asked while walking around the castle.

"It seems that we have guests dear." Regina motioned towards the west aisle.

"Guests?" Red asked intrigued.

"Royal guests." the witch clarified.

"Do you know who they are?" Emma asked while preparing her magic.

"I have a suspicion." the brunette smiled softly and opened the doors of the throne room with her magic, fact that made the blonde woman laugh.

"There is only one person in this whole realm that would make an entrance like that." the blonde said and opened her eyes when she saw the brunette enter. "It's really you!" she screamed and ran towards the witch who prepared herself for the hug that was coming her way. "Regina darling, you look as if not a single day has passed your way."

"And you look as beautiful as always, my dear Abigail." she said. "Please, let me introduce you to my Dark Knight, Princess Emma White of the White Kingdom and her companions Red Riding Hood and Eugenia." she pointed towards the three women who were rendered completely speechless. "And of course you remember my soldiers from the Elite Army."

"Princess Emma is a Dark Knight?" Queen Abigail laughed loudly. "The irony of such a thing."

"Indeed." Regina teased and winked towards the blonde who blushed.

"Oh, so she's something more than a knight based on that wink and blushing."

"She is my life." the witch answered honestly and got a surprise look from Abigail.

"Well would you look at that; Fate does seem to like tragic romances." the older blonde mused to herself. "But after considering all things, it is not surprising that you would love the daughter of your nemesis."

"You know me, always complicated." Regina smiled and grabbed Emma, pulling her towards her and giving her a strong hug. "Now my dear friend, I am happy to see you but I know that there must be a reason for this visit other than catching up with each other."

"Yes, there is." Abigail said and motioned for her husband to join them. "Frederick and I became King and Queen after my father died 9 years ago. As you may know, there were the Sorcerers' Wars and that took a toll in the realm." she looked down. "My father being killed as a result of them because he was a magical being. Since then, we have tried to make things right by inadvertently allowing magical beings to live in our kingdom if they were capable of controlling their powers. Of course, this is such a small thing but at least we were protecting some people. Nevertheless, we started to get some complications when we heard of a land in the White Kingdom that possessed a big and yet very well hidden population of magical beings. Now, we were never interested in taking land away from Snow White's kingdom because we have enough of our own." she looked at Emma while saying this. "But we knew that the moment Snow White found out about these people she would surely kill them all."

"So you wanted the land in order to save the people in it?" Emma asked, completely numbed and again reminded of the secrets and lies their parents had told her this whole time.

"Indeed." Abigail said and focused on the two women. "When the other kingdoms were getting allies for the Sorcerers' Wars, your mother was adamant about keeping magical beings safe. At first she refused to join the other kingdoms and to be a part of such a murderous act. We agreed with her and decided to rebel together with anyone else who would like to join us. Nevertheless, from one day to another she changed her mind and then we had no other choice than to do the same thing she did. I never really understood what made her have such a 360 degrees switch, but after this happened she ended all ties with us and our kingdom."

"We think we know who was responsible for that change of mind." Regina said darkly. "But what are you trying to tell me with all of this?"

"I am telling you that the Gold Kingdom is going to support your rebellion, my dear Regina. Although we will claim that it is because we are against Snow White, which is not technically a lie, we are actually doing it because we know that you will not kill all those magical beings."

"Support our rebellion in what way?" Emma asked the two monarchs.

"By providing you with soldiers, weapons and the willing magical beings that would want to help you." Frederick said while looking at her wife. "Along with our public recognition if you defeat Snow White."

"That is a rather generous offer." Regina murmured. "Is there some sort of deal or favor that you would require of me?"

"An agreement to have an alliance with us and further interest in getting other kingdoms to allow magical beings to live in them." the man said.

"A selfless favor." the brunette smiled softly. "May I ask why you would ask such a thing from me?"

"Because we failed to protect my father and this way we can atone ourselves for that sin." Abigail murmured softly.

"I understand." Regina said while looking at Emma. "I cannot give you an answer until I discuss this with my royal council, but after that is done I will let you know. I appreciate your support and I am truly happy to see you two alive and well." she smiled warmly at her two friends. "I welcome you to stay in one of the royal rooms until we reach a decision." she nodded towards Evelyne who took it as a cue to take the Royal couple to their bedroom.

When King Frederick and Queen Abigail left the room the four women and the Elite Army guards that remained were all thinking about what had been discussed.

"Shit." Emma said mostly to herself but still loud enough for anyone to hear. "This is a big deal."

"The weapons and men of the Gold Kingdom would immensely help our forces." Anthony said.

"And their magical beings will have experience and knowledge about their powers and how to best use them." Red added.

"But are they really doing all of this because they want to help magical beings?" Granny huffed. "I find that hard to believe."

"I have known Abigail for a long time." Regina said to the room. "And she would have never come here with a lie or a plan to deceive me because she knows the consequences one faces when they attempt to trick me."

"And the fact that she also seems to dislike my mother helps confirm her good intentions." Emma said while smirking. "And I had people always telling me that she was the fairest of them all." she teased and all the people in the room laughed.

"So what do you plan to do then?" Granny asked the big question.

"I now plan to go and rest with my girlfriend." she winked at Emma who blushed. "I want you all to tell the royal council members that we will have another meeting tomorrow morning. Evelyne, you will take care of Frederick and Abigail and get them anything they require." the soldier nodded. "And Anthony you will receive the new recruits and start their training." he nodded in acceptance. "While Sebastian and Dorian will accompany Granny, Red, Emma and myself to the council meeting."

When all the people had confirmed what and where they would be, Emma and Regina separated from the group and immediately transported themselves to Regina's chambers in a cloud of lavender smoke. As soon as they appeared, the brunette grabbed the blonde and kissed her passionately, all the pent up excitement of the day manifesting itself in the kiss.

Moaning at the intensity of her girlfriend's kiss and the strength with which Regina was now pulling her hair, Emma used both arms to carry the brunette to the bed, act that earned her a wicked smile from the older woman.

"You are confident in yourself and your skills when making such presumptions." she laughed when Emma bit her neck. "What if I just want to take a bath and then go to bed?"

Emma looked up from her spot near Regina's neck and teased her with her tongue. "We both know you don't want that."

"I do want a bath." Regina moaned and stood up from the bed and her position under Emma. "You are more than welcome to join me in it." she winked at the blonde who had been rendered speechless at seeing the brunette's naked body.

"I am going right now." Emma started to take off her clothes but stopped herself. "Shit..." she half-moaned, half-whimpered. "I forgot to tell Red to give me your surprise."

"My surprise?" Regina asked intrigued from the bathtub. "Whatever do you mean?"

"It's something that you will hate me for discussing it with her but will later love me when I use it on you." Emma blushed while looking down in embarrassment.

"Emma Swan, are you getting me a naughty surprise?" Regina teased the blonde who blushed even more.

"Perhaps..." the blonde whispered and Regina laughed.

"Then you should go get it." the brunette said. "I shall be here waiting for you."

Emma looked up and smiled happily at the confirmation of being open to experiment with things that made the blonde blush when she thought about them. But still, the fact that Regina merely laughed and told her to go get what she wanted to use only made her feel more accepted by her lover.

"Ok, I will go and come back as soon as I get it. Hopefully Granny won't see me." she murmured to herself and disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

When Regina felt her girlfriend's magic leave the room she closed her eyes with a soft smile on her face. It had been fun to tease the younger woman about her desires, and although she had pretended that it wasn't a big deal, she was happily surprised that Emma was willing to experiment. During her time as Evil Queen she had a done a lot of sexual things, and although she was truly happy with the way her relationship with Emma was, the idea of sharing such a thing with Emma made her feel all giddy and excited. She did not feel ashamed about admitting that she had been a very sexual woman, and as she had told Emma, when they made love with each other it had been the biggest and most pleasurable thing she had experienced in her whole life. The fact that the two of them were open to having fun in the bedroom was a plus on their relationship, not something that they truly needed but an act that could be enjoyed by the two of them.

Hearing the door of her room open, Regina kept her eyes closed and enjoyed her last peaceful moments. Thinking about Emma and what she would to her had got her all worked up and she was now ready to be ravished. When the steps got closer to her, she decided to be vocal about her desire and need for the blonde, that way surprising and making Emma feel sure about herself, suspecting that she was probably nervous about continuing this game they had started. When she heard the sound of boots being taken off and clothes being tossed on the floor, she smirked and opened her legs in preparation.

"Now darling, whatever took you so long? I am so ready for you." she said and smiled when she heard a body land behind her on the outside of the tub. "I thought you were getting inside because you also needed a bath." she teased her girlfriend.

But, the moment she felt Emma's hands on her shoulders she realized that something was wrong. This touch was not the one of her True Love, the hands too big and calloused, the usual tenderness and loving caress replaced by roughness and blunt lust. Opening her eyes in fear, she stood up from the bathtub and immediately conjured a fireball on her right hand.

"What are you doing here?!" she screamed at the huntsman who was standing naked in front of her. She could see his erection and the fact made her feel sick.

"I assumed you wanted to see me." he merely shrugged and started to approach her.

"You must be insane." she yelled at him. "I told you that I am with someone else and that I wanted nothing to do with you. Tell me, how does this." she pointed at them. "Apply to the sentence I do not want to see you?"

"Come on Regina." he smiled. "We both know that you are with that princess because of her last name and nothing else." he smiled seductively. "You have always known how politics work and how to get your people to follow you."

"That is not the case now." she magicked herself clothes and started to move towards the exit to only be blocked by the huntsman. "If you do not move I will kill you." she threatened him.

"Nothing I haven't heard before." he pressed himself against her. "I still remember all the things you liked and what you liked to do to me." he tried to kiss her neck. "And I have missed them, and your body, immensely."

"I took your heart and used you!" she screamed, completely terrified. "How can you even tell me that you miss that? I forced you to have sex with me every time I wanted to."

"At first I despised it, but with time it became the only type of sex I desired and got satisfaction from. I have tried to move on, but no woman compares to you Regina."

"This is not happening." Regina closed her eyes and turned the other way. "This is all a bad dream and I am still waiting for Emma to get back."

"She will never be able to satisfy you the same way I did." the huntsman promised with a movement from his hip.

Jerking away from him, Regina felt the flow of Emma's magic and felt relieved when she saw the blonde woman appear in front of her.

"Sorry Regina, Red started to mock me about forgetting it and then Granny showed up and..." Emma stopped talking when she saw the state of the brunette. "What is wrong?" she exclaimed, looking around the room and feeling her whole world shatter when she saw the naked huntsman in front of her. "What is he doing here?" she whispered.

"I came to please my Queen." he smirked at the younger woman while pointing at his erection.

"Emma..." Regina whispered to the blonde who was now crying. "I did not ask him to be here, I do not want him here. I was in the bathtub waiting for you and the moment I realized that it was not you the person inside the room I told him to leave." the brunette promised and also started crying. "Please believe me."

Emma could think of nothing else than the image of a dressed Regina with a naked huntsman. She had felt the brunette's fear but assumed that it was because of the rebellion and what could happen, which made her hurry up and just tell Red and Granny to stop bothering her. Nevertheless, now it made complete sense and she knew that Regina was telling her the truth because she could feel in her heart the current fear that the witch was feeling. She could feel how terrified Regina was of losing her and of having her heart broken by a misunderstanding that was not her fault. She felt the blind anger towards the huntsman who had come to only cause her pain and the sorrow she experienced at the same time towards the man.

"I believe you." Emma whimpered and got a crashing kiss from the brunette who moaned.

"I only love and want you." Regina promised while cupping the blonde's face. "You are my life Emma."

"And there is nothing I wouldn't do for you." Emma replied and kissed the brunette fiercely, the two women so lost in themselves that they didn't care about the naked man in the room.

"But..." he started to say. "But that's how things were before."

The two women separated from each other and Emma made a fireball appear in her hand. "She told you she wanted nothing to with you. She told you all that she loved me and yet here you are trying to separate me and my True Love." she angrily told him.

"Your True Love?" the man murmured. "That is not possible, her True Love died."

"That was her first love, asshole, and his name was Daniel." the blonde screamed at him and threw the fireball that landed on his feet, burning the skin on it. "Now, if you do not want another fireball to land on an important part of your body I suggest you leave this room and never approach my Regina again." she got closer to him and on purpose stepped on his burnt foot. "Because if you do, if you try to take her from me, I will destroy you if it is the last thing I do." she promised and pushed the man out of the room.

The moment the two women were left alone, Regina was going to explain to the blonde what had happened exactly, but instead she was grabbed by the younger woman strongly and in an instant her dress was torn and left on the floor. Noticing that Emma had already magicked her clothes away, she moaned when she felt her core being squeezed by the blonde's abs.

"You are mine." Emma said while kissing her strongly, teeth biting and marking every surface of her body. "Only mine."

Regina whimpered at the sensations that came from Emma's attack and the mixture of their magic. It had never been this strong, this passionate and it was now driving her insane.

"Tell me you are mine." the blonde moaned and moved her hand downwards towards soft curls, making the brunette whimper in excitement.

"Yours, only and forever yours." she promised the blonde who continued her trail of kisses downward, stopping herself when she reached dark nipples.

"Tell me no one else has made you feel what I make you feel." Emma whispered and ran her tongue over the brunette's breast, licking and biting each mound with love and desire. It made Regina get completely insane with desire. "Tell me only I can make you cum gloriously."

"Only you can make me cum." the brunette whimpered. "Please..." she begged the blonde who was now moving downwards towards her stomach.

"Please what Regina?"

"Please make me come."

The younger woman nodded, and after moving her fingers away from the brunette's clit, she darted her tongue inside and started licking her arousal, the two women moaning at the same time.

"Oh yeees." Regina moaned. "So good, please baby, please." she continued whimpering and moving her hips with each new sensation.

Emma was going to continue her crazy attack, but feeling that this was not the way she wanted Regina to reach her climax, she took her tongue out of her and pushed her body upwards, seeing the sad and whimpering expression on the witch's face.

"Why did you stop?" she half-cried. "I was so close."

"I don't want to fuck you Regina." Emma whispered. "Not now that we got a reminder about that part of your past." she cupped the brunette's face. "I want to show you what all of those lovers of yours could never do with you. I want to make love to you." she said and saw tears falling from the brunette's eyes.

"Ok." Regina whimpered when she felt loving caresses and kisses on her eyes, nose and cheeks.

The loving assault continued and a new kind of flame got ignited inside of her. Her desire again grew, but this time it craved a different kind of closure, one that came from knowing how much she was being loved. Gasping when she felt two fingers quickly entering her, she moved in tandem with Emma, who was also moaning in response to the brunette's tight being under her core. The two women were in sync, each part of themselves being opened and shared with the others, their fears, hopes and dreams of a life together wanting them to show each other the level of their love. It took longer, but the moment Emma felt Regina's core clench, she opened her eyes and saw purple eyes staring at her, drinking every part of her and her essence.

"Let go darling." Regina whimpered. "Come with me." she asked the blonde who trembled and felt her whole self be left raw and exposed, every part of her mixed with Regina's.

The moment the two of them decided to let their significant other see them in their truest self, that was the moment a white light came out of their bodies, their climax reaching each one at the same time and forcing the two women to scream their satisfaction. Regina had been watching her lover's eyes, the blonde's white magic pouring out of her and entering her dark soul. She had felt it inside of her, curing previous heartbreaks and old-wrongdoings, finally letting her truly forgive past mistakes and sins. She had felt the purity of their love and wondered if this was what each True Love couple felt or was it something that only Emma and herself could experience. Well, it didn't truly matter because the only thing she could think about were the strong arms hugging her, protecting her from the world and from anyone that wanted to take their happiness and love away from them. For the first time in a long time she felt like the innocent young woman she had been, and smiling brightly, she opened her eyes to see the ones of the woman she loved with her whole soul and the one who was worth giving her life for.

 **At the Enchanted Forest, Two Days Away From The Dark Castle**

The road had been long and filled with many delays, but now that he was finally close to the Dark Castle he allowed himself to take a break and rest in one of the village's taverns. Hiding his identity under his hood so he would not bring unwanted attention, he asked for a cold beer and something to eat. He had been thinking of ways to convince her daughter of coming back home, of arguing in favor of her marriage to Prince Killian and yet he had nothing because he was against it all. He wanted Emma back because he hoped that would make his wife's strange demeanor to disappear. He was tired of the secrets and lies, and if the honesty of his wife could be achieved by bringing Emma home then that was what he was going to do. He had a duty to his kingdom and its Queen, who was also his True Love. He had to do right by them.

"Have you heard the latest rumors?" two men started discussing right next to him. "The Evil Queen and her friends defeated the Queen's forces and entered the Dark Forest."

"Yeah, and that the whole village was killed during the fight." the other man answered while taking a drink. "Although let me tell you that the story sounds too false to be true."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean that it was the Queen's guards the ones that killed all those people." the man whispered but Charming heard him clearly.

"She would never do such a thing, she is Snow White." a woman said from the bar.

"Well, a friend of mine, who is a guard in the White Castle, told me that one day the Merry Men were in holding cells, alive and well after fighting the Evil Queen and Princess Emma, and the next one they were found dead."

"The Evil Queen cursed the heart of Robin Hood." the first man said.

"Why would she return them all to their cell if her intent was to kill them anyway? She could have done the same and it would have been easier."

"A message, a warning..."

"Well, I don't think so because people are telling me that she has changed."

"She is the Evil Queen, how can she change?" the woman retorted.

"Well, they say that True Love is the most powerful magic of all." he smiled at them all. "And it is being said that the Evil Queen found her True Love."

Charming paid close attention to this part of their conversation.

"She found him?" the woman asked with surprise.

"Her." the man smirked in delight. "And in the most unthinkable person of all."

"Who?" one man asked, obviously curious.

"The White Princess herself." he whispered and all the people in the room were speechless, Charming refusing to believe this.

"That is insane." the woman said. "Rumors and lies."

"Deny it all you want, but everyone knows that the Evil Queen revealed herself when the Princess was in danger of being captured and that both times she used her magic to protect her from harm."

"Unbelievable." one man said.

"The power of True Love can change even the evilest of us."

"Even the Evil Queen herself." they laughed. "I will drink to that. To redemption."

"To redemption." the rest of the people cheered while Charming stood up and left the tavern.

He was confused by what he had heard, the lies her wife had told him about the guards not finding Emma and that the Evil Queen had been protecting her. Not only that, but that the woman herself was her daughter's True Love and that she was willingly supporting her in her rebellion against them. More confused than before, Charming noticed an old woman sitting by herself near the lake, and for some strange reason he decided to approach her, almost as if she was magically calling for him.

"What seems to be troubling you, King David?" the old woman asked.

"How do you know who I am?" he wearily asked.

"That does not matter. What matters is why you are seeking me."

"I am not seeking you."

"You are seeking for a solution to your daughter's situation." the old woman replied. "Hence you are seeking me."

"My daughter was captured by the Evil Queen, I am going to save her."

"Your daughter was not captured, she willingly followed and offered the woman her support."

"But she is a White."

"And that pales in comparison to the connection she has with the witch."

"So it is true that they are each other's True Loves."

"They are something more powerful than that for the two of them have magic. It is a rare and unique union predestined since the beginning of time and by Fate." the old woman smiled. "They are each other's Truest Love."

"Truest Love?"

"If True Love is magic, then Truest Love is what creates magic itself. It is that powerful and the two of them being destined for each other is what allows magic to flow freely around us."

"So there is nothing I can do to stop them from being together?" Charming asked dejectedly.

"You can try, but it won't work. Fate wants them together hence they will be together." the old woman laughed. "What you should be worrying about is your wife's dark schemes."

"My wife's dark schemes? She is Snow White, her heart is pure and untainted."

"Then you must be talking about another Snow White, for the one I'm talking about is currently making a deal with the Dark One, one that will destroy your daughter's happiness if you do not help her."

"I don't understand." Charming whispered dejectedly. "Why would my wife want to make her own daughter so miserable?"

"She is doing so because she is miserable herself. Her heart was tainted by a dark entity and that led her on a dark path of jealousy and lust. She deeply craves the freedom and love your daughter has and since she knows she can't have it she will do the next available thing, which is destroy it."

"But that does not make sense, we are each other's True Loves!"

"Are you really?" the old woman smiled sadly. "Can you feel her emotions and can she feel yours?" she asked knowingly.

Charming looked down and felt tears fall from his eyes, the reality of his relationship with his wife coming to light thanks to an old woman.

"What can I do to help her?" he asked her. "How can I save her?"

"I am afraid Snow White chose her own path many years ago." she said dejectedly. "But you can still do right by your daughter."

Charming looked at the old woman with determination and nodded. "What do I need to do?"

"Go to the Dark Castle, prevent your daughter from drinking a forgetting potion that will allow your wife to marry her to Prince Killian. Listen to what she will tell you and believe her for she is telling the truth, although it will hurt you to hear it. After that you are free to choose to go back to your castle or join your daughter's rebellion."

"So I have to choose between my wife and my child." he whispered. "That does not seem fair at all."

"It isn't." the old woman smiled sadly. "But when has life ever been fair? Now get on your horse and go, for your wife has a spy in the Dark Castle that is slowly getting closer to the Queen and your daughter."

"How can I know that all of you have told me is the truth and not a lie?" Charming challenged her one last time. "Why should I trust you and not my wife?"

"Because your wife is being manipulated by a very evil woman, one that only cares about her own happiness, one without morals that has done and will do anything to become powerful."

"And you? What do you win from stopping my wife?"

"Let's just say that I will get my revenge by helping the Evil Queen and your daughter win." she smiled. "Now farewell and good luck, King David." the woman finished and disappeared in a cloud of blue glitter.


	16. Running on Hope

**Author's Note:** New chapter peeps! Things keep moving forward and I already have an ending planned for this story! I'm excited about it and we still have some chapters left until it comes! Don't worry, loose ties will start to be solved soon and I promise you that there are still unexpected surprises left. Next chapter could be later today or tomorrow. Kudos and no Beta so mistakes are all mine.

* * *

 **At the Dark Castle**

Emma opened her eyes to the strong sunlight that came pouring inside the room. Huffing in annoyance, she turned downwards and placed a pillow on top of her head, refusing to get up and start her day. They had spent the whole night making love, and only when they felt their whole bodies collapse was the moment they decided to fall asleep in each other's arms. Which made her realize that Regina was not in the bed with her. Shuffling herself out of it and magicking for herself clothes, she walked around the room in search of the brunette, only being able to relax herself and her magic when she saw her sitting down on a table with a book and some food.

"Good morning." she whispered, the relief in her voice obvious to the brunette.

"I am sorry for scaring you." Regina apologized while kissing the blonde chastely. "But I woke up a few hours ago when I remembered about a special book I 'acquired' from my mother many years ago."

"Can I assume that said book is the one you're reading right now?" Emma smirked and sat down on top of the brunette who smiled at the gesture. "I wanted to sleep more." she pouted.

"We have slept most of the morning away." the witch laughed. "I wonder what our people think of us and our nighttime activities."

"I don't care and it's not their business." the blonde said while eating cheese and fruits. "But I do care about this book that forced you to leave our warm and comfortable bed."

Regina chuckled. "Trust me dear, it took a lot of incentive for me to leave said bed and the hot body that was laying on it." she kissed her cheek lovingly. "But this book is important because it is a book of dark magic."

"Dark magic as the one the Dark One taught you many years ago?"

"Indeed." the brunette nodded. "And there is only one known copy of this book, which is the one I am currently holding in my hand."

"So this book is very important why?"

"It has spells on it that aided my mother before I sent her to Wonderland. Do you remember when I explained to you about the different levels of magic?" Regina questioned her girlfriend.

"Yes." Emma nodded in understanding. "You said that some people naturally have the capability of doing magic while others have to use magical objects or spells to do magic. I guess your mother was the latter case?"

"Indeed. She did not have magic before she used a spell from the book that gave her said magic. But because of her incapacity of summoning magic from deep inside of her, like you and I do, her spells are limited to what she has absorbed."

"Ok, you lost me there."

Regina chuckled. "The person that reads this book can absorb the spells from it. Once you absorb a spell you will be able to use it as many times as you want. Of course, since magic is infinite, so is this book, which means that although it looks like it has a beginning and end, in reality it does not."

"So let me get this straight: That book you are holding now in your hand has an infinite number of pages but I can still clearly see the beginning and the end of the book?"

Regina nodded. "I know it is hard to understand but that is the way magic works. Since my mother does not have this book, we have a certain advantage over her, for you see I know all the spells she absorbed from it."

"So we can know what to expect from her!" Emma said excited. "That's amazing news!" she focused on Regina and then thought of another thing. "Do you plan to use some spells from the book?"

"I have been considering it." the brunette answered honestly. "I am aware that the book originally comes from owners of dark magic. But honestly, that is the magic I have and not all of the spells that involve dark magic are destructive. What I want to do is learn how to do some special protection spells so that then I can teach them to you."

"I can understand that decision." the blonde nodded encourageledly. "And I trust you Gina."

Regina smiled and hugged the woman tightly to herself. "And that is what makes me feel so confident about using this book. I will not be tempted by the darkness because there is so much light inside of me. All brought by you and your presence in my life."

Emma smiled brightly and kissed Regina passionately. "I swear people would be so surprised to know that deep inside the Evil Queen is a true romantic."

The witch laughed. "I guess that is what happens when you fall in love."

"I love you." Emma smirked.

"And I love you." Regina replied while hugging the younger woman tightly.

"And I have news! Hope you are all decent!" she screamed and this earned a groan from the brunette who with a wrist of her hand opened the door. "Good morning." the werewolf smirked at them.

"Hey Red." Emma replied happily while going to the bathroom to get dressed.

"Hello Red." Regina muttered. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"Come on Regina, don't pretend that you don't like me because we both know that is not true." she teased the witch who merely closed her eyes in exasperation.

"The news?"

"Ok, ok, don't shoot the messenger." Red smiled while raising her hands in mock surrender. "Kind David has been seen near the last village before the Dark Forest. He seems to be alone." she added while looking towards the bathroom door where Emma had left a few seconds ago.

"Are they sure that it is my father?" Red turned around and almost flinched when she saw her goddaughter standing in front of her, completely dressed.

"Shit that was fast."

"Magic." the blonde merely explained.

"You're getting good at it." she smiled at Emma who returned the gesture. "And yes, they are quite sure that it is him."

"Perhaps it's all a plan of my mother to fool us."

"Perhaps." Regina agreed. "But I will not forbid your father from seeing you if he has come for that sole purpose."

"But he could be a spy!" Emma argued fervently.

"And he is also your father." the brunette reminded her. "And if he promises to follow and abide our rules then he may stay. Besides, do you not think that he deserves to get an explanation from you?"

"He will try to convince me to go back to the White Kingdom and marry Prince Killian." Emma said dejectedly. "Do you want that to happen?"

"Of course not!" the witch reassured her girlfriend. "You know very well that I will not allow that to happen." Regina replied firmly. "But as Queen it would be rude of me to not receive him if he is no threat."

"She is right." Red said while focusing on the younger woman. "I don't trust King David myself because he has always been controlled by your mother too easily, but what I do know is that he loves you immensely. Perhaps he will do the right thing and listen to you."

"How can we be sure of that?" Emma whispered.

"We cannot be sure, but that does not mean that we should not give him a chance to explain himself." Regina reminded her. "Honestly, that second chance policy I talked about has come back to bite me since I proposed it."

The blonde and werewolf laughed at the truth behind those words.

"So then we just let him come to us?" Red asked Regina.

"I want you and Sebastian to go wait for him, a familiar face will make negotiations easier." she winked at the brunette who nodded. "If he does not agree to our terms then leave him at the edge of the Dark Forest and come back. If you mistrust his words and believe that he is telling a lie then also leave him at the edge of the forest. I, we..." she pointed to Emma and herself. "Trust your judgment."

"I will not disappoint you, Your Majesty. Your Highness." Red promised while bowing and immediately left the room to find Sebastian and prepare for David's arrival.

"I hope you two are right about my father and his intentions for coming here." the blonde whispered sadly.

"I hope so too." Regina caressed Emma's cheek softly. "I can feel how much he means to you."

"He was always my hero. I mean, after Snow White distanced herself from me he was the one that became my best friend and confidant. He taught me how to fight and ride a horse, he gave me Bug and he convinced my mother about letting me do what I liked instead of what she _wanted_ me to like."

"The times I met Charming I always noticed how brave he was, how much he wanted to fight and find his way back to your mother. I always admired that about him and their relationship." the brunette admitted while chuckling. "Of course, at the time I found the whole thing nauseating. Perhaps it was because I was envious of the relationship they had, since I had told your mother many years ago that she should look for True Love."

Emma looked at Regina completely surprised. "You told my mother about True Love?"

Regina smiled. "She was a beautiful child, although with time she became a brat if I may say so."

Emma laughed. "It's still a little weird for me to hear you talk about my mother in such a way. You know, I just started to realize that for you this must be overwhelming since although for us it has been 18 years, for you it has only been two weeks since you were defeated."

"Sometimes it is overwhelming." the brunette admitted. "There are some things that I expect and when I do not see them I realize that a long time has passed. But I think I am thankful for having this second chance."

"You are happy about having been frozen in time for 18 years?" the blonde asked surprised.

"I was a horrible human being Emma, I killed my own father and I am sure I would have been able of doing worst things if I believed that as a result my happiness would have been obtained. And, perhaps the two of us would have never met in the other land." Regina shrugged. "Or perhaps I would have hated you."

"Hate me?" Emma smirked while getting closer to Regina. "But I am utterly charming."

"Indeed, a trait that at said time I would have found annoying." the older woman smiled and kissed Emma strongly. "Now it seems that I cannot get enough of it and you."

"Good, because we are just beginning, your Majesty." the blonde smiled while making the witch sit on her chair. "You're quite addictive." she teased while stranding Regina.

"And you are such a tease." Regina replied while closing her eyes at the feelings that arose from her.

"Ehem." they heard someone laugh from behind and the two women unwillingly separated from each other.

"This better be good." Emma heard Regina murmur and managed to hide her laugh before anyone saw it.

"Your Majesty. Your Highness." Evelyne kneeled while looking at the floor, cheeks red from embarrassment at having seen the Queen in such an indecent position. "Queen Abigail asked me to find out if you and your council have reached a decision."

"I have not because I still have not had a meeting with my Royal Council." Regina murmured while deciding that she had no more time to play with Emma. "Please tell her that late in the afternoon I will summon her to the throne room so I can tell her our decision."

"Anthony is currently practicing with the new recruits." she added and Regina nodded in understanding. "While Dorian is checking for weapons and armours in the old guards' chambers."

"What about the royal council?"

"They are aware of the meeting and are already waiting for you."

"Then that is our cue." the witch said and waited for Emma to catch up with her. "Oh, Evelyne." she stopped the knight from leaving. "King David may become a guest at the castle. Please make sure that he has the right accommodations."

Nodding and immediately going to do what was told, Evelyne left Regina and Emma to finish their walk to the royal council alone. The two women decided to do it in a comfortable silence, both of them having similar thoughts about the rebellion and the possibility of having Queen Abigail and King Frederick could do to help them. She was currently nervous and anxious at finishing this meeting so that they would know once and for all if they could have the aid of the Gold Kingdom. Nevertheless, there was another emotion that she was feeling and she was sure that it was not from her, but of Emma. And concentrating on identifying it, she realized that Emma was scared.

"Hey..." Regina stopped her before entering the room where the council was waiting. "Why are you scared?"

Emma tried to smile but the gesture turned out to be more a grimace. "Sometimes being connected like this sucks." she bitterly chuckled. "I can't hide anything from you."

"I would always prefer to have honesty and truth in our relationship."

"Me too." the blonde immediately assured the brunette.

"Then why did you want to hide your feelings from me?" Regina asked a little hurt.

"Because I don't want to add more things for you to worry about." Emma murmured.

"Add? So that means you realized something that we previously did not."

The younger woman nodded but looked around them clearly anxious. "Not here." she whispered and grabbed Regina's hand, immediately transporting them to an empty wine cellar.

"How did you know this was here?" Regina asked surprised.

"I passed it by on my way to Red's room when I got lost yesterday night." she shrugged and Regina flinched at the memories of what had happened last night.

Emma, feeling the nervousness and shame the brunette had experienced when the previous evening was mentioned, immediately felt bad about being so uncaring about it.

"Hey." Emma smiled softly. "I can feel everything you feel and there's no reason for you to have those feelings. I love you and I would like to think that what happened after the huntsman left is something you do not regret and feel ashamed of." the blonde teased her and got a deep blush from Regina.

"I regret not throwing a fireball at him when I had the chance." Regina murmured angrily.

"Well, I did it and I can't wait to see how his foot is today." Emma smiled evilly. "Although thinking it better, I would prefer it if he left the castle and our lives. In fact, I would feel more comfortable if we had another knight in the room protecting you." Emma bluntly said.

Regina looked at angry and upset green eyes and understood the blonde's fear.

"Is that why you are so adamant about having extra protection? You are afraid that the huntsman will attempt something else?"

"No, I can handle him just fine. And based on how my magic reacted to him, he is also aware that, although you are hesitant of killing him, I really don't give a shit if he is alive or dead."

"Then why are you worried? They already passed the test we gave them and no one in that room is as powerful as you or I."

"I don't know, I just feel that something is going to happen and it has been nagging me since we found out that my father is coming." the blonde admitted.

"Are you sure that it is not just nerves of having to face him? Understandable nerves?" she added as an afterthought.

"It's something else." Emma stared at Regina's brown eyes. "I know my father would never hurt me or you because he would never be capable of doing something that could destroy me."

"That is putting a lot of faith on a man that has been everyday easily controlled by your mother and my mother." Regina looked apologetically.

"Don't mistake my words: I know he will do whatever it takes to get me back to the White Kingdom, but what he'll never do is kill me or you in order to do so. Besides, don't you find it strange that your mother and my mother allowed him to leave the kingdom just like that?"

"Perhaps they are just overconfident in where your father loyalty lies?"

"But still risk their position by letting him come so you can extract information from him? Although I believe he knows nothing that we can't find out from other sources." Emma muttered the last part.

"So you think that he has something else planned?" Regina asked, now intrigued and a little worried. If there was one thing she knew it was to never underestimate her mother.

"Not him necessarily." Emma shrugged. "All I know is that Cora doesn't seem stupid enough to merely let my father come here and ask me to go home. And I know you know that too."

"So your father is a distraction." Regina murmured softly.

"That's what I thought because I know my father and he is not cunning enough to come as a spy. The real question here is: a distraction for what?"

"My mother knows that the moment she tries to enter the Dark Forest my magic will repel hers away. She also knows that I would never allow Snow White or any member of her council to pass because we are aware of her control on your mother. But, since she has been her whole life a member of your court, Cora must be aware of the bond you share with your father and she is expecting us to let him pass because of said bond."

"That makes a lot of sense." the blonde said and immediately started to think the worst. "We shouldn't let my father pass the Dark Forest."

"Emma..." Regina whispered. "He is your father."

"Who may destroy you." the younger woman begged her. "Don't make me choose between my family and you because I will always chose you. You are my life Regina, and the thought of my parents hurting you kills me. Please, don't make me kill my father because if he tries to kill you then I _will_ kill him."

"Do not say that." Regina held the crying woman tightly to herself and peppered her with kisses.

"But it's the truth." Emma whimpered. "When I imagine living my life without my parents I can see it happening; it would be painful but I can still imagine it. But, when I try to imagine my life without you I see nothing because my life ends the moment yours ends."

"You are a stupid woman, Emma Swan." the witch started crying too. "A stubborn and damning woman that I love with my whole soul. I mean, look at us, crying in an empty wine cellar." she chuckled.

Emma chuckled softly too. "I'm sorry for making you cry before your meeting."

"It is alright." Regina appeased her. "Nothing that cannot be fixed with magic." she moved her wrist and the two of them looked as if nothing had happened. "But I understand you Emma, and I also know that I am capable of killing my mother, and in fact I am ready to do so, if that means I can protect you from her. So, I will do whatever you ask me to do."

"Really?" the blonde asked surprised.

"Of course. I would do anything for you Emma if the result brings you happiness. But please, do not discard your father like I did mine. In fact, he sounds a lot like my father; weak but loving. Did I ever tell you that before I took his heart out my father asked me to leave with him?"

"You didn't." Emma replied softly.

Regina smiled sadly. "He told me that we could leave this land, I could stop being the Queen and stop my revenge against Snow White. He said we could be happy."

"But you knew you wouldn't be." the blonde whispered knowingly. feeling the emotions Regina was experiencing while telling her this.

"He wronged me many times while my mother was in this realm. That left a toll on me and shattered my trust in him. He failed to protect me, he allowed my mother to abuse me and how can I rely on a person that allows that? I loved my father with my whole heart but he stopped being my father the moment I became the Queen."

"I understand." Emma whispered.

"Your father, although weak, never stopped protecting you from your mother. He fought for your freedom to be a child and live a life without having to worry about suitors, lessons and punishment for not wanting to be a princess. I know he has recently failed in stopping you from marrying Prince Killian, but if you compare him to my father, your father still has the chance to do right by you."

"And you want him to do right by me? Even if he tried to kill you many years ago and is the husband of Snow White?"

"As I told you before; all I want is for you to be happy." Regina smiled. "I know you Emma, and I know you will do whatever it takes to protect me and I love you for that. But I also know that you will not forgive yourself if you do not give your father a second chance. I mean, you gave me one and look where that got you." she winked at the blonde who laughed too.

"You make a good case." Emma smiled and hugged the woman tightly to herself. "So we stick with what we discussed earlier and we let him pass and tell us what he came to say?"

"Yes." Regina smirked. "And while Red and Sebastian wait on him, the two of us will go to that meeting we are definitely already late for."

 **Near the Dark Forest**

Charming was riding his horse as fast as possible. He had not stopped or slept since for two days and was almost falling from his horse because of exhaustion. The day before, he had been ready to stop at a small village to rest and recover from the shocking news he had received the previous night, but like a dream, he had been stopped by the same old woman.

 _(Flashback to yesterday morning)_

"No time to rest, your Majesty." the old woman hurried towards him. "You will not reach your daughter in time if you stop."

"What do you mean?! You told me that the spy was getting close to them a few hours ago and now you tell me that I will not have time to stop my daughter from being hurt?!"

"Your daughter has similar traits to you, your Majesty, which means that she angered your wife's spy. Because of that, the spy decided to hurry and will attempt to hurt your daughter sooner than expected in a meeting that the Evil Queen summoned the day before."

"Hurt her in what way?! Knowing the Evil Queen, if she truly loves my daughter then she will not let anyone touch her."

"You know how the forgetting potion works."

"It has to be taken willingly." he murmured, remembering the time when Snow drank it to forget she loved him.

"Which means that the spy plans to hurt the Queen so your daughter does what she is told."

"And she will because she is stubbornly in love." he smirked a little at the similarities between the two of them.

"Exactly. Brave but at times annoying traits." the old woman added while giving Charming a bag with some bread and water. "This should be enough until you reach the edge of the Dark Forest. Of course, you need the permission of the Evil Queen to enter her kingdom."

"But we have no time to wait for said permission!"

"And you won't have to. The Queen is a smart woman and she has a familiar face waiting for you at the border of the Dark Forest. One that also loves Princess Emma like a daughter. Appeal to her, remind her of the potion her friend took and she will immediately let you pass."

"It's Red." Charming whispered surprised and relieved at the same time. "She found Emma?"

"Indeed, and she decided to do what was right this time and stayed to help her and the Evil Queen. That decision almost cost them their lives since the werewolf had drank a potion that could tell Queen Snow White their location."

"So that's what happened to the people of that village. My daughter and her lover..." he managed to say. "Were trying to enter the Evil Queen's kingdom and my wife's forces intercepted them."

"Yes, and although your daughter and her companions made it, the witch your wife has an ally killed all the people because of said escape."

"Oh Snow..." Charming whispered sadly.

"Now is not the time to dwell on the past, your Majesty. You need to ride as fast as the wind and reach the Dark Castle before the end of the afternoon, for if you are later than that your daughter will drink the forgetting potion."

Nodding, Charming got back on his horse, and without a back glance at the strange woman, he left and headed towards the Dark Castle, hoping to not be late.

( _End of Flashback)_

It had been hours since he had seen a trace of civilization, and praying to the gods that he didn't make a wrong turn, he exhaled when he realized that he reached the village that bordered with the Dark Forest. As people had whispered, there was not a single soul in it, the traces of a fight obvious and a trace of magic in the air. He refused to stop his horse, who was complaining about the strenuous pace his master had set. Reaching the outskirts in minutes, he almost cried when he saw that the old woman had been right; in front of him there was a Dark Knight and Red eerily watching him approach. Without getting down from his horse, he got as far as he could, an invisible barrier stopping him from moving further inside. Frustrated, he looked up and noticed that he had little time left, the sun was starting to lower down, which meant that the meeting the strange woman told him about had already started.

"Red!" he begged the woman who looked at him. "If you love Emma you have to let me pass."

"I love Emma like a daughter and you know that." she replied fiercely. "Which is why I'm here. I don't trust you or Snow. You could be a spy. Or you could come to take Emma back to the White Kingdom."

"My journey started that way." he admitted. "But now it is all about saving Emma. Please, she is in danger!" he screamed and this made Red stop her attack. "Snow has a spy in that meeting!"

"How do you know about that?!" she asked while her eyes turned yellow, immediately looking at the Dark Knight who was also preparing his sword.

"I will explain everything when I have time. But right now, that spy will make Emma drink a forgetting potion."

"You could be lying. Tricking me so I let you pass."

"I am not!" he begged while tears fell from his eyes. "Please, Emma is all I have left."

This made Red stare at the man, who looked distraught and on the verge of collapse. It was obvious he had been travelling non-stop and that made her question her own assumptions about him.

"So you know about Snow?"

"I know she has been lying to me and that an evil woman has been manipulating her." he admitted. "And that we no longer have True Love." he whispered. "I do not wish my daughter the same fate I am experiencing. You know what that potion does."

"It makes her forget about her True Love. Like the one Snow drank when she wanted to forget you." Red murmured. "And the only way it works is if she drinks it willingly." she whispered, fearing the worst.

"Which means that the Queen is in danger." the Dark Knight said. "We need to let the others know!"

"You need to let me pass! We need to stop her from drinking that potion!" Charming bellowed and Red smiled when she saw that right now he was not in front of weak and meek King David. Right now she was facing Prince Charming.

"You can go through." Red said and Charming felt the invisible barrier disappear.

Without a thought, he took his hand and gave it to Red, who immediately jumped on his horse.

"Sebastian, find a way to let the guards know that the Queen is in danger!" she ordered him. "Now go!" he told Charming who immediately set his horse to move forward, the two of them hoping that they could reach Emma in time.


	17. Familiarities

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the wait, but here is the next chapter! Hope you like it and we are nearing the resolution of this story. But don't worry, it will not be soon. Reviews are always welcomed and they make me want to write and update faster. Thank you all for following and favoriting this story.

* * *

 **Near the Dark Castle**

"Your horse needs to go faster!" Red screamed to the man while she kicked his steed desperately.

"We have been riding non-stop for two days." he said, also upset. "I don't even know how he is still running."

"Damn!" the werewolf screamed. "I should have known that somehow Snow and Cora would find a way to get a spy inside."

"But Emma and the Evil Queen must be protected by guards of some sort."

"They should, but since we just started gathering people we are a little short-staffed." the brunette angrily huffed. "If something were to happen to Regina or Emma..." she murmured. "In fact, I don't even want to think about it because they would die without the other."

"Die?" Charming said unbelievably. "I heard rumors about the Evil Queen's True Love being Emma. Is it true?" he whispered the last part.

"It is." Red replied cautiously. "And they love each other tremendously."

"What if it is a spell? I mean, it could be a possibility."

"I saw it with my own eyes Charming, when they shared True Love's kiss and a white light came pouring out of them."

"That's what happened when I kissed Snow 18 years ago." he muttered. "So it must be true. What the old woman told me was true."

"The old woman?" she asked. "I mean, I don't even know why I'm trusting you with all of this because we obviously have a traitor that told you about the meeting."

"It was no traitor. I already told you that it was an old woman that simply appeared to me. She said that she wanted to help Emma and the Evil Queen. To stop that spy from hurting them. She also told me about Snow and what she has done." he shrugged.

"Well, if that was what got you to realize what was happening right in front of you then that old woman was a guardian angel for Emma and Regina." Red murmured. "I still find it hard to believe, you know, how much things changed. I mean, this was not what I expected to do when I joined Snow's rebellion 18 years ago."

"I would have never thought that my daughter's True Love was going to be the same woman we tried to kill hours before she was born." he flinched. "What Emma would have suffered if we would have been successful."

Red looked at the man and saw his state. She could smell the stench and sweat on him, obvious signs that he had done as said and rode for the whole night. Whatever that old woman told him terrified the man, and based on the correct assumption that the two women would be holding a meeting, Red knew that it was no mere mortal the one that tipped David off. Still, she felt sorry for him and for his lost relationship with the Snow, the woman he had thought would be his forever.

"I'm sorry this happened to Snow and you." she said knowingly. She knew what it felt like to lose a True Love, and although Snow was alive, she was not the same woman King David fell in love with 18 years ago.

"The worst part is that it took someone else to tell me what was happening before I really noticed it." he looked down in embarrassment and sadness. "How couldn't I see that my wife was jealous of the carefree life my daughter led? How could I have known that she went behind my back and kept a sorcerer alive although we promised not to after the Sorcerers' Wars. I mean, when did this all begin?"

"Charming, this is not your fault." Red appeased the man. "Snow's decisions are that; Snow's decisions.

"Then why do I feel so guilty? I could have done something, I could have protected, I should have, that's why I'm her True Love."

"How can you save someone that never asked to be saved?"

"I don't know." he shrugged. "But what I do know is that it has been enough and I have to do right by Emma. She deserves better than what we almost forced her to live."

"That she does." the werewolf agreed.

"Is she happy?" Charming asked her wife's former friend.

"I have never seen her like this, so open and willing to show the world how much she's in love. Not only that, but Regina makes her better. She makes Emma be more responsible about her wellbeing, she teaches her how to be a monarch and she loves her just as much as Emma loves her. The two of them complement each other."

Charming smiled sadly. "Then that's all I can ask of my daughter's suitor."

"Regina will protect Emma with her life if she has to." Red promised the man.

"And Emma will reciprocate because that's just the way it is with True Love."

"Yeah." Red whispered and held her breath when her wolf ears caught something, a horn that came from the castle. "Shit." she said while getting down the horse and taking her cape and clothes off.

"What did you hear?!" Charming screamed while stopping his horse.

"It was the Dark Army's horn." she simply replied. "The Queen is in danger."

"We need to get there now!"

"I know!" Red screamed back at him. "But we won't make it walking. If I turn into a wolf then it will take us three minutes to reach the castle."

"But it's still not full moon."

"I can transform at will now." the werewolf closed her eyes and instead of her usual green eyes, yellow ones were angrily staring at David. "The moment I turn you will take my cape and jump on top of me."

Nodding in understanding, Charming turned around so Red could finish taking her clothes off. After a couple of seconds, he heard a small howl that told him that the wolf was ready. Smiling a little at the prospect of riding a werewolf, he grabbed Red's hood and jumped on the waiting animal, who after feeling Charming's stronghold, ran as fast as she could to the Dark Castle, beginning all the Gods to make it on time.

SQSQSQSQ

 **At the Dark Castle**

The moment Emma entered the room she felt that something was not right. Although she had been calmed after her talk with Regina, the feeling of being in danger immediately started. Looking around the room, the blonde was trying to find something that could explain why she was experiencing such a thing. When she turned around and faced her girlfriend, she saw the calming stare being made towards her, letting Emma know that the witch was aware of what she was feeling and that she was alert. Still, this didn't calm her and she decided to just remain standing behind the brunette. She saw each member of the council shrug at the action, but they knew better than to say anything about it. She had managed to convince Regina to add another Elite knight at the meeting, which is why she saw that Dorian made a motion for his sword. He was also on the lookout for trouble and that appeased her a little. At least she was not alone and she had some physical backup.

"Good evening." Regina said to the royal council while noticing the quick exchange between Emma and Dorian. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice but there have been some developments that I need to discuss with you. Nevertheless, before we do that, do you allow me to do a binding spell so that none of the information said in this meeting leaves this room?"

When all the people nodded, Regina made a motion for Emma to join hands, and when this happened, the blonde noticed the huntsman reacting at the gesture. Deciding to ignore his growling, warning looks and his jealousy, Emma kissed the brunette's hand lovingly. When Regina looked at her and saw that she was watching the reaction of the huntsman, she understood that this was something that Emma needed to do in order to show them all that they belonged together. When the blonde's lips separated from her skin, she smiled warmly at the young woman and further appeased her by keeping their hands together.

"Thank you all for trusting our magic. Now, the reason why I summoned you all is because yesterday we received some unexpected guests. Queen Abigail and King Frederick offered us their support and troops."

"And what do they want from us in return?" the leader of the blacksmiths said.

"They want our promise that once Snow White is out of power we will forge an alliance with them and help them get other kingdoms to approve the existence of magical beings."

"I know it sounds hard to believe." Emma addressed the next question. "But it does seem that their desire to help us is honest. And, we really do need the extra hands and political recognition they are offering us."

"But, as I promised you all, this kingdom will have a rule of transparency, which means that I will ask your opinion about the Gold Kingdom's proposal." the witch clarified.

"It sounds too good to be true." an elder man said. "What if they are lying to us?"

"Lie to the Evil Queen?" Regina asked amusedly. "I have known Abigail for many years, and one thing she knows she will not get away with is deceiving the Evil Queen. But, if it will appease your worries, we can ask the Gold Kingdom to do a blood oath with us. That way, if one side breaks the deal then the punishment is death. Does that help?"

When all the people in the room nodded in agreement, Emma smiled at the brunette and huffed in relief. This had been easier than expected and the approval of the royal council was an important thing.

"Your Majesty, a question." the huntsman raised his hand to get the attention of the people around the table. "Would you say that your position as Queen can be compromised?"

"Compromised in what way, huntsman?" Regina asked angrily.

"Well, you are the leader of our rebellion." he smirked. "What would happen if the enemy found out that you had a weak point?"

"Although I have magic to aid me, physically I am like all of you, which means that I will have weaknesses just like any other human being."

"What are you trying to do, vile snake?" Emma angrily asked.

"I'm trying to point out an important thing that we all failed to see." he spat at Emma.

"And it turns out that _you_ just realized this today." the blonde mocked him. "No matter what you do, no matter what you try to tell people, you will never be able to separate Regina and I. She is my True Love."

"Exactly." the huntsman smiled darkly at her. "And as such, you are a liability to our rebellion because the Queen would do anything for you, even give her life." he pointedly looked at Regina.

"I am just as invested as you in this rebellion for if we fail, then my True Love and I will never have the chance of being happy. So trust me that I want it to succeed as much as you do." she whispered. "But the huntsman is correct: I would give my life, make any promise if Princess Emma's life were in danger because I cannot imagine a world without her. If that." she spat at her former lover. "Is a motive for you to stop trusting me, then go ahead and choose someone else to lead you. I once believed that love was weakness, that it only made a person lose themselves and take reckless decisions. Well, you saw how things ended for me when I used to believe that. I will not make that mistake again, and I will not pick loneliness and sadness before love and happiness. And those things, to me, mean being able to have Princess Emma in my life. So, if any of you have a problem with fighting for love, then you are more than welcomed to leave or ask me to step down."

When none supported the huntsman, Emma smirked at him.

"It seems that you're the only one that thinks like that." she separated from Regina's side to get closer to him. "And now we have motives enough to take you out of this council, one of them being treason towards your Monarch"

"I hate you." he screamed at Emma. "You ruined things! Regina is meant to be with me. She changed and now she can now love, and since she gave me my heart back I can love her too." he got up from the table and that was the moment when Emma noticed that his foot was alright.

"Regina!" she screamed at the witch while jumping the huntsman. "His foot is fine!"

Regina, remembering that Emma had burnt it with a fireball, stood up from the chair and placed a protective shield in front of the other council members. When that was done, she saw that the huntsman was throwing a dark crystal ball to the ground. Knowing what it was, she used her magic to push Emma and Dorian, who were now trying to circle the man, away from the poison.

"It's poison!" she said while moving forward, not realizing that said movement placed her right in front of the huntsman, who immediately took the opportunity to grab her.

"Everyone stop!" he yelled to Emma and Dorian who had their swords out and were angrily looking at the man. "Or I will drop this poison and the Queen will die."

"You don't want to do that." Dorian tried to get closer but the huntsman pushed Regina closer to him.

"I don't want to." he admitted. "But I will if you take one more step forward."

"Please Dorian, don't move." Emma whispered to the knight who looked at her, desperation in his eyes. "You're in control. What do you want?"

"I want you gone!" the huntsman spat at her.

"I cannot do that and you know it. Regina and I are destined to be together, none will survive without the other."

"I know that." he smiled. "Which is why I want you to drink a potion that I left on my seat." he pointed towards the spot. "Once you do that, I will release her."

"Emma, no!" the brunette screamed when she saw the blonde heading towards the seat. "What are you doing?"

"I'm helping us, Regina. Don't you see? Once that brat forgets about you or the fact that she loves you, she will go back to her kingdom and you and I will be together."

"A forgetting potion." Regina whimpered. "Please Emma, do not do this."

Emma took the potion from the man's satchel and smiled sadly at the brunette. "You would drink it without a doubt if I was the one being threatened."

"That does not mean that I want you to drink it! I forbid you from doing so! I am the Queen and you must do what I say." the witch screamed at her lover. "Please, please do not leave me." she begged while crying.

"I will never leave you." the blonde promised. "In fact..." she winked at the love of her life. "I will always find you."

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

"What's wrong?!" Anthony asked when he saw King David riding a wolf to the Dark Castle. "I heard the horn."

"There's a spy at that meeting!" Charming yelled at him. "You need to move if you want to save your Queen and her True Love!"

Running through the training barracks, the three of them avoided people that curiously stared at the two men and wolf, most of them also wondering why the horn was ringing. Charming was only thinking about getting to his daughter in time, to stop her from destroying her own happiness and to kill the person who betrayed them all. Red had the same thoughts as Charming but she was also terrified of what it would mean for Regina to lose Emma, to let her go back to the White Kingdom so she could get married to another, to a man who barely knew her, much less loved her like she did. She swore that she would make the spy suffer a painful and slow death.

"They are meeting in the south aisle." Anthony directed them while entering the castle. "It's the room that is at the end of this hall!" he screamed and took his sword out, Charming doing the same while Red was following them in her wolf form.

Without a second glance, the Dark knight opened the door and barely stopped Red and Charming from entering too. What he saw made him rethink the situation, and the sight of his Queen, crying while begging her lover to not drink a potion broke his heart.

"In the name of the Queen I command you to let her Majesty go!" he bellowed to the huntsman who hesitated when he saw the knight.

"You move closer and I drop this!"

"It's poison." Emma said sadly. "This is the only way Regina will be safe."

"Now, drop that sword and go stand next to that other knight." the huntsman ordered.

Meanwhile, and hidden from the man's sight, Red crawled inside the room, her wolf form allowing her to quietly move around, trying to find the best way to get closer to the man without alerting him of her presence. Nevertheless, that also meant that Emma couldn't see her. In fact, the only person that could see Red was Regina, who was trying her best to tell Emma to stall, to allow the wolf more time to settle herself. Nevertheless, the blonde was just looking at her, trying to take one last glance at her True Love before forgetting everything about her.

"I love you." Emma whispered. "So much."

"You are going to leave me." Regina cried, trying her best to keep Emma talking.

"I will save you."

"We agreed that we would not do things like this, it would be either the two of us or none."

"We both knew that at one point one of us was going to break that promise." the younger woman smiled at her.

"I honestly thought that I was going to be the one to break it, though." the brunette sadly teased.

"Guess I beat you to it." she gulped.

"Stop talking and drink the potion!" the huntsman screamed while getting closer to Emma, a movement that took him away from the door and hence, allowed Charming to enter the room and jump him.

"Dad!" Emma screamed when she saw her father attack the huntsman, who, because of the surprise attack, lost his hold on Regina and the poison.

While Emma ran forward to grab the brunette, the two women saw how Red jumped from her hidden spot and in a quick movement transformed herself back to her human form while hugging the sphere close to her. When she fell to the ground, all the people in the room stopped moving, expecting the crystal ball's poison to quickly infiltrate the air and kill them all. Nevertheless, when Anthony and Dorian noticed that the brunette landed on her back and that the crystal ball was safe, they went to where Charming was holding the huntsman captive.

Meanwhile, the two witches in the room only had eyes for each other.

"Emma..." Regina cried while hugging the blonde tightly. "My sweet Emma, thank all the gods and deities you are alright."

"Regina." the younger woman exhaled while clutching her tightly.

"You almost left me." the brunette angrily whispered.

"I couldn't let you die." she said vehemently. "And although he said that he loves you, I knew he would be capable of killing you if that meant I would stop being with you."

"And Princess Emma was right in assuming that." Anthony said. "What I don't understand is how he passed the test we gave them the previous day."

"He passed it because he truly believes that separating Emma from Regina will only help her be a better Queen." Red said once she had gotten some clothes to cover her nakedness.

"How did you know to come?" Emma asked her godmother while hugging her tightly.

"Your father." she smiled at the man. "He told us that there was a spy in the meeting. After that, the two of us ran from the edge of the Dark Forest to get here."

"Emma..." Charming whispered sadly. "I'm sorry it took me so long to see how unhappy we made you. I'm sorry we almost stopped you from having True Love and I'm sorry for not protecting you or your mother better."

Emma looked at his father, and although he was dirty and without his usual self-confidence, the man that had just jumped the huntsman was the man she remembered loving and admiring many years ago. Smiling at him, she gave a knowing wink to Regina who, nodding in understanding, relaxed her grip on her.

"Dad." she murmured. "How can I remain angry at you when you rode all the way here to protect me and my True Love." she cried and hugged him tightly. "I have missed you so much."

Charming smiled warmly at her, and after getting encouragement looks from Red and Regina, he returned her hug, softly whispering that he had missed her just as much as she did.

"Nooooo!" the huntsman screamed again. "This was not the way it was meant to be. She had to drink the potion and forget about you and that way King David would have taken her back to the White Kingdom."

"The White Kingdom?" Regina asked.

"To marry that Prince her parents set her up with."

"And who told you this plan?" the witch murmured angrily. "Because there is no way you could have known about King David's plan to come here to try to take his daughter back. Unless..." Regina said angrily. "You had someone really close to them tell you that."

( _Flashback to Yesterday Night)_

When the huntsman entered the tavern, he felt his foot was going to explode. He felt sick to his stomach, he felt the sting of having been rejected by Regina, and the jealousy of knowing that right now the two women were kissing and making love to each other. Huffing in anger and pain, he limped to a chair and sat down on it, immediately ordering the strongest drink they had. He had seen the way the Princess' eyes shined, how angry she had been at him and how capable she was of killing him without hesitation. Not only that, but now she was poisoning Regina's mind, convincing her of her love and desire, which of course had to be false because the Evil Queen and him belonged together.

"That's a rather nasty burn." a man smirked at the huntsman who merely shrugged. "If you don't take that boot off you will infect it."

"I don't care." he murmured while finishing his drink in one shot. "Another." he growled.

"Hard evening?" the man smiled knowingly.

"Not your business. And if you don't want to find yourself with a bloody nose then I suggest you leave me alone."

"Someone preventing you from being with the woman you love?"

This made the huntsman look at him. "And how would you know that?"

"Well, we all know that the Evil Queen and yourself were lovers many years ago." he smiled. "So imagine the surprise when she told us that she found her True Love in Princess Emma."

"She is mistaken. Regina cannot have a True Love because that is light magic."

"And she is the Evil Queen." he finished. "But you see, even she can have a True Love, and that True Love is indeed the Princess of the White Kingdom."

"And how would you know that?!" he screamed at the little man.

"Because I can feel their magic." he smirked.

"Then there is no hope for me." he took the second drink in one shot as well.

"Did I say that? I only said that they were True Loves."

"But True Love is the most powerful magic of all. How can I stop something like that?"

"You cannot stop True Love. But, you can make someone forget they have a True Love." he took a vial with a potion inside of it. "And it turns out that I have a forgetting potion with me."

"I can make Regina drink it and she will forget everything about that brat." he smiled.

"Nuh nuh, that's not the way you will do this." he smiled. "And you will do things just like I tell you to do them if you want me to give you this potion."

"How can I know that it works? And why would you give it to me?" he asked the suspicious man.

"Let's just say that it's in my best interests to make Princess Emma return to the White Kingdom. If she forgets about the Queen, then nothing will stop her from returning with her father and marrying that Prince."

"So you are a spy of Snow White." the huntsman whispered.

"I would have done it myself but the Queen was smart about choosing a small group of people to be in her council. Here I am nothing but a mere blacksmith, which means that I will never be able to give this potion to the Princess without having someone suspect me of treason."

"And hence you will make me be seen as the traitor."

"I guess that is the price you will have to pay in order to have your happiness." the man winked. "So what do you say huntsman, do we have a deal?"

"We have a deal." the huntsman whispered and took the vial from the man.

With a wave of his hand, the man healed the burn from the huntsman's foot, and smirking at his surprised face, he merely shrugged. "Best if you have two functioning feet if you want to get away with threatening the lover of the Queen."

( _End of Flashback)_

"So a spy from Snow White gave him the potion." Anthony murmured. "We need to go and get that spy!"

"You won't find him." Emma spat angrily. "I bet he left the kingdom the moment he saw the huntsman was holding his part of the deal."

"I do not even think that blacksmith was a mere peasant." Regina whispered while sitting down and closing her eyes. "Of course, I should have suspected something like this would happen."

"Please, explain us your epiphany." Red said what everyone else was thinking.

"It is obvious." the witch said while angrily standing up. "Who could have known that your father was coming to get you back for your wedding with Prince Killian? Who has magic and access to the ingredients needed to create potions? And who can take hearts to control another person?"

"Cora." Emma spat angrily. "But you said that you would feel her magic the moment she approached the Dark Forest."

"But not the magic of another magical being, which is what she must have done in order to enter covertly."

"She took the heart of another magical being, and because of that she was able to go through your defenses. After that, she only had to wait for the right time to attack you, and when the huntsman started his vendetta towards the Princess that was the moment she decided to give him the potion." Dorian said.

"My mother knew that without Emma I would have been heartbroken and vulnerable. That would have been the best opportunity for her to launch an attack."

"Your mother is truly devious." Red said offhandedly.

"That is not the only thing that worries me." the witch whispered. "I know the list of all the spells that my mother absorbed from the magic book." this time she looked at Emma who nodded in understanding. "And having the dark magic necessary to do a forgetting potion was not one of them."

"But it's a potion, don't you only need ingredients for that?" Anthony asked.

"No, all potions needs magic in order to activate the ingredients."

"And your mother didn't have that magic." Emma started to understand. "So that means your mother got the potion from someone else."

"But who? In this realm there are only three known people with magic, and we have two of them with us." Dorian asked.

"There is only one person who could have done this potion." Regina said. "A man that always manages to find his way back from the death. One that loves to make deals."

"The Dark One." Emma whispered.

"And it seems that either my mother or your mother made a deal with him." the witch whispered.

"What does this mean then?" Charming asked, the people in the room remembering his presence in the room.

"It means that your wife has made deals not only with one, but with two devils." Red said angrily.

"And that she lied to us all about the White Kingdom killing all wizards and witches." Dorian added.

"Do we need to be worried about him aiding Snow White's forces?" Anthony asked.

"I do not think so. The Dark One barely got involved in wars between kingdoms. He preferred to make deals with monarchs, deals that would somehow hurt them and benefit him. Let us hope that old habits die hard and that he wishes to remain outside the fight."

 **2 Days Ago At The White Kingdom**

"Did you ask for me, your Majesty?" Manohara asked the Queen.

"It seems that you forgot to mention to me that you went to the dungeons and visited the Dark One."

"Must have slipped my mind." the wizard smirked. "But it seems that you got what you wanted from him." he pointed at the vial in Snow's hand.

"Tell me why you went to see him."

"We knew each other before the Sorcerers' Wars. I found out that he was alive and I went to ask him for some advice."

( _Flashback to a week before)_

"It can't be." Rumplestiltskin whispered after watching the man transform into the woman he had loved many years ago. "You were dead."

"You mean that small incident my daughter and I had when she sent an assassin to take my heart?" Cora huffed while cleaning her dress. "When I realized that Regina had tried to kill me I planned to retaliate and finish things once and for all. Nevertheless, when she admitted to me, or dead me, that she loved me and that was why she killed me, I decided to give her a second chance."

"Such a sweet and benevolent mother." Rumple replied sarcastically. "What would she say if she knew that you have been aiding Snow White all this time?"

"I did what was necessary in order to ensure my safety. I thought Regina died the day your Curse failed to be cast. I had a very intricate and elaborate plan that was going to prevent me from going to that magicless land to forget my identity."

"Then it seems that someone else has been meddling with our plans." Rumple huffed.

"And when has that stopped us from trying?" she smiled darkly at the wizard.

"Do I hear a possible proposition from you deary?"

"Perhaps." she smiled. "You see, I just sent King David on a fool's errand to the Dark Kingdom. He will try to convince his daughter of returning with him so he can marry a dull prince."

"And that interests me because?"

"Because all Snow White cares about is having her daughter back so she can sell her to the highest bidder. Princess Emma will not do that because she is rather close to my daughter. And this friendship does not work for me and the future plans I have for myself and my daughter." she winked at the man. "So imagine what would Snow White do if she were to ask you for something to help her make her daughter, let's say forget, about her loyalty towards Regina?"

"And you would be the person suggesting her to come to me for such a potion? Why not make it yourself?"

"I never absorbed the spell needed to activate the potion." she huffed. "Why make someone forget when I can just kill them?"

"So you will tell dear Snow White about the forgetting potion, one that I will procure for her and that's it?"

"As I told you, all I want is to isolate Regina, to make her see that she needs me."

"First she needs to know that you're alive." Rumple laughed at her. "I can only imagine the look on her face when she sees _you're back._ "

"You need to imagine it? But what about your sight powers dear Rumple?" the old woman smirked at him. "Do not tell me that you lost the gift of the seer?"

"The future changed the moment your daughter failed to cast my Curse." he angrily told her. "So yes, my sight since then has been compromised. But nevertheless, the only thing you need to worry about is getting Snow White to agree to accept my deal."

"And we both know that you have always been a cunning snake. I'm sure you can manage to find a way to get her to agree."

"You do know I will ask her for my freedom." he smiled darkly at her. "And what may happen once that freedom is obtained."

"Is that a threat to me?" the old woman smiled. "Oh dear Rumple, we have spent so much time fighting each other when perhaps the solution to all our problems is to work together. Our alliance does not need to end once you leave this dreadful dungeon."

"Tell me, what can I gain by having you as an ally? If I am a cunning snake then you're a dirty rat. You are no better than me, in fact, you are worse because you use your own flesh and blood for your plans of grandeur."

"I can help you get what you have always wanted to get." Cora smiled. "I can help you finish what you started 18 years ago."

"That's impossible. Your daughter can no longer cast my curse." he smiled knowingly. "She's not the same woman we raised 18 years ago."

"I was aware of that the moment she returned those guards back to the castle and kept Princess Emma with her." Cora shrugged. "It seems that my daughter is happy to remain in this land because she finally has the love and support of her people, she is finally a Queen." Cora said proudly.

"And isn't that what you wanted from the beginning, for her to be Queen?" Rumplestiltskin sing-songed.

"That was what I wanted 18 years ago, when I was supposed to be death." she smiled. "Now _I_ want to be Queen. I do not care of where, but I want to rule over this stupid peasants."

"This sounds oddly familiar." he smiled at her. "And I will give you the same terms I gave your daughter 18 years ago: I will have a position of power in this new land. And you need to crush the heart of the thing you love most." he smirked. "Is it ok for me to assume that your daughter won't join us on our little trip?"

"The only thing you need to be concerned about is giving Snow White that forgetting potion in exchange for your freedom." she spat at him. "And I'm sure that she will agree to those terms if you give her what she wants. She is growing desperate and she is scared of my daughter. Fear and desperation are enough incentives for her to let you free."

"Then if it is as you say, I agree to your deal." Rumple smiled madly at her. "Now go back to dear Snow White's bed, she must be looking for you." he winked at her. "I can smell her on you."

( _End of Flashback)_

"Of course, he offered me a deal in exchange for his help and I refused." Manohara said while smiling. "But you do not need to worry about me or him."

"I do not need to worry about him because I set him free." she shrugged. "But I am worried about you, Manohara."

This made the wizard look up at her, clearly surprised.

"I'm not sure of where your loyalty lies." she said.

"But since I am here and not in one of your dungeons I assume there is a way for me to prove myself to you?"

"There is." she smiled darkly at him. "You can take this potion and get my daughter to drink it. I don't care how you do it, but I want to hear that my daughter is on her way back to the White Kingdom, ready to marry Prince Killian."

"And how will I make that happen if I cannot enter the Dark Forest without the Evil Queen finding out about me?"

"I guess that's something for you to solve." she smiled. "And if you don't..." she stood up and went towards him, a maniac smile on her face. "Do not even try to come back here for there will be a price on your head."

"I understand, your Majesty." Manohara said while bowing down and immediately left the room in a daze.

This certainly changed things for him, and now more than ever he needed to think of a way to get inside the Dark Forest. He needed to succeed if his plans with Rumplestiltskin were to remain the same. He had to succeed.


	18. Plans and Surprises

**Author's Note:** Hi people! I know I have been gone for a while, but college has been hard and I'm also working on my thesis so I have barely had any time to write. As I mentioned previously, this story is coming to an end (I think 3 to 5 chapters left depending on how I divide them) and then there will be a second part. With Swan Anatomy I'm stuck, so until I have something good to write I will refrain from updating. I want to thank you all for your support and comments on this story. No Beta so all mistakes are mine and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

* * *

 **At the Dark Castle**

"Your Majesty..." Anthony interrupted them. "What shall we do with the traitor?"

Before Regina could answer anything Emma stood in front of the huntsman and kicked him in the face with the hilt of her sword. "That's for lying to us." As soon as he lowered his head, the blonde kicked him in his stomach, the mix of her own strength and magic making the hit much stronger. "This is for threatening Regina's life." she spat and then used her magic to brand him on his chest. "And this is so that everyone knows you betrayed us."

The people that were witnessing the princess' rage were adamant in stopping her. They understood that she deserved to make this man pay for almost destroying her life and yet they knew that were she to do anything more severe she would regret it.

"My dear." Regina tried to appease Emma who was preparing herself to hit him again. "I understand your anger, I feel it myself and there is nothing I would not give to see the light fade from this man's eyes. However..." she caressed the younger woman's cheek. "We promised the people transparency and as such we must reveal to them this betrayal."

"Besides, telling them that it was Red the one that prevented the poison from killing the council will help her regain the trust of the magical beings." Dorian added while keeping his hold on the Huntsman tight.

"That is true." Red whispered while focusing on the woman she saw as her daughter. "I know you want justice Emma. And hell, you deserve to be the one to pass your sword through his heart. But Regina is right. Trust your people to do the right thing and avenge their Queen."

Emma nodded in understanding while lowering her hands in an attempt to calm herself and the flow of magic she felt pouring from herself. The moment the adrenaline from almost experiencing a life without Regina faded out, she realized that before Regina no one had tried to stop her. In fact, she was even more surprised that they allowed her to brand him, the mark big and bold so that it would hurt him more to receive it.

"We are witnesses to this man's crimes and we will tell our people the truth." a councilman promised the princess. "Everyone will know that Snow White's attempt at separating our Queen and her True Love has failed."

"I would expect nothing less from you." Emma whispered while looking at Regina and then her father when something came to her mind. "But at the moment I would require you to refrain from discussing what happened outside this room."

Surprised but compliant, the people in the room nodded in understanding and took their leave. Regina felt Emma's nervousness and yet she noticed that it didn't come from a bad experience but rather a good plan.

"You have a plan that you desire to share with us dear?" the Queen smiled encouragingly.

"Indeed I do." the blonde smiled brightly. "I just thought about it when I heard the councilman say that my mother's plan failed."

Smiling in understanding, Regina gave Emma a warm hug.

"Ok, just because you have that weird bond that allows you two to share every emotion that does not mean that we can all know what you are thinking." Red teased them.

"Darling, would you like me to bound this man and send him to one of my cells to await for his trial?" Regina softly asked the blonde, who remembered about his presence.

"If I could, I would do more than that." she huffed angrily. "I think it will be better if you send him now."

Nodding in agreement, with a flick of her hand the huntsman disappeared from Dorian's hold, which made the knight relax his stand.

"Father." Emma looked at Charming while smiling softly. "My mother sent you with the intention of bringing me back to the White Kingdom, correct?"

"Yes. That was the only way I was allowed to leave the castle." he murmured, ashamed at noticing how much his wife had manipulated him.

"And when you came from the border of the Dark Forest you heard the horn of the Dark Castle signaling that the Queen was in danger, correct?"

"Yes, your Highness." Anthony confirmed. "The people were curious about it but no answers were given to them."

"Then we can take advantage of this situation and gain the upper hand." Emma smiled. "My mother and Cora are waiting for news of my father and I making our way towards the White Kingdom. As Regina said, Cora is aware that with our support they have everything to lose."

"Which is why she attacked you, so that the Queen would isolate herself." Dorian added in understanding. "That way she would be more vulnerable and willing to receive help from the Queen of Hearts."

"And at the same time your mother would have a bride to give to Prince Killian and hence the army she needs to attack my kingdom." Regina huffed in annoyance.

"But what part does the Dark One play in this?" Charming asked.

"He must have been captured by the Blue Fairy before you betrayed her." Emma said and saw how his father flinched in shame.

"Which explains how Snow got the potion." Red murmured.

"You did say that your mother was incapable of making the potion because she didn't absorb the spell needed to activate it." Emma agreed. "And I bet that it was not so hard to convince the Dark One to give it to her in exchange for his freedom."

"That does sound like the Dark One I knew." Regina said while grabbing Emma's hand.

"Then perhaps that's the last we hear of him." Anthony tried to be positive.

"I do not think it will be that easy to get rid of him. Remember, his deepest desire is to travel to the magic less realm and he will do everything he can do achieve that goal." the older brunette remained them.

"But no one can travel there anymore. We made sure of that by locking the spell we got from you." Charming said and everyone in the room looked at him. "And since Snow is being influenced by Cora then that means she will surely plan to use it."

"The real question at this moment is if Snow White is aware of my mother's deceit." Regina murmured. "And if telling her this would help our situation."

"She can't know." Emma murmured. "I truly think she believes she has been with a man during this whole time." she sadly looked at her father who flinched in shame. "Hey..." she whispered at him while getting closer. "It wasn't your fault."

"How can you say that?" he asked dejectedly. "I failed to protect you both from the darkness and I allowed our family to be destroyed. I failed as a husband and a father. And it seems I am now failing as a King to protect my people."

"The sins of Snow White are her own." Regina told his arch nemesis. "Perhaps your innocence and love for her clouded your judgment, but those are not the same as malice."

Charming looked up to her and nodded in contempt, not quite ready to accept forgiveness for his ignorance. But nevertheless, he could now make things right by helping his daughter and the woman she loved to regain the kingdom that Snow allowed to fall into darkness.

"Then what do you suggest us do?" Charming asked the room.

"We will make them all believe that their plan was a success." Emma whispered conspiratorially. "We will make everyone believe that I took a forgetting potion and that I'm going back with my father to the White Kingdom."

"And what happens once you are inside the castle when your mother demands you to go forward with the wedding?" Red asked.

"We make her believe that I am ready to get married and then Regina and her Elite Army will enter the castle. Once you do that, we will have Red with the Gold Kingdom's army near the borders of the White Kingdom waiting for our signal to approach. By diverting my mother and making her believe that the fight is outside the castle she will be unprotected and vulnerable."

"A solid plan." Dorian smirked. "But how will we enter the White Kingdom once you and your father make it in?"

Emma's enthusiasm fell at realizing that Dorian was right. Her magic was good, but it was not powerful enough to enchant a group of 15 people.

"I can help you with that, your Highness." a frail voice whispered and everyone turned around to see an old woman standing behind them.

"It's you!" Charming said while getting closer to the woman. "You were the one that warned me about the Huntsman and the poison. I am forever in your debt." the King bowed in respect.

"I am in your debt as well." Regina said firmly. "And that is what is currently preventing me from throwing a fireball at you. This room is supposed to be inaccessible for anyone except members of the council, my Elite Army and blood family."

"I can see that you still retain that same distrust that made you question Fate's choice so many years ago." the old woman smirked.

Opening her eyes in shock and understanding, Regina lowered her hands. "You are the Blue Fairy." she stated and everyone in the room fell silent.

"Blue?" Emma whispered with tears in her eyes while approaching the frail old woman. "Is it really you?"

"Yes my child." she smiled sadly. "It is so wonderful to see you again."

"But we saw you burn..." the blonde whispered while grabbing the fairy's hand and squeezing it tightly. "I saw your body burn."

"When Fate deems that one's journey is not meant to end, then said journey will not end." she smiled at Regina. "And as I am sure you must know, I am not the only way Fate has saved."

"Something that still astounds me." Regina said suspiciously. "I was taught that Fate never intervened on human affairs because when they did the repercussions usually involved paradoxes in the time continuum area."

"In this case it was paramount for fate to intervene, otherwise the price of would have been the destruction of our world as we know it and a new beginning for the universe."

"Shit, it was that serious?" Red blurted out and everyone looked at her. "Sorry, I just find it hard to believe that the actions of an specific person can affect the lives of the whole human race."

"They can, and they already have Red Riding Hood." Blue said somberly.

"You know something." Emma accused the fairy. "Something you don't want to tell us."

"It's not that I don't want to my child." the woman apologized. "It's something that you are not meant to find out, not yet."

"You know I don't like secrets." the blonde angrily said.

"And I do not like to keep them from you. But if you care about your beloved then you will stop asking me to reveal what I know."

Emma immediately turned towards Regina and saw the same doubt in the brunette's eyes. Whatever Blue knew about their future was something that the witch had no knowledge of.

"Then why are you here?" Regina asked firmly. "Up until now you have done nothing but deliver us more bad news to our already big pile of troubles."

"I will help you get inside Snow White's castle. Emma's magic is strong, but not strong enough to transport an army." Blue said while staring at the Queen. "It is imperative we capture Snow White and prevent your mother from enacting her curse."

"What curse?" Charming asked.

"She will use the curse the Dark One gave you." Emma whispered to Regina. "But how can she love if she has no heart?"

"She used to love, and a past love in a person without a heart can be powerful enough to be accepted by the curse." Blue answered.

"And since I am her last living relative then she will come for me." Regina calmly said.

"I will not let her take you away from me." Emma vowed. "I promise you."

"And I trust you my darling." the brunette smiled sadly.

"So then we have to keep Cora away from us long enough to invade the White Kingdom and take my mother hostage." she smiled encouragedly. "With our combined magic that shouldn't be too hard."

"I'm afraid it is." Blue whispered.

"The Queen is right, you only bring bad news." Anthony huffed in annoyance.

"Cora is not working alone this time. She managed to get the Dark One on her side by promising him to enact the curse."

"And I bet it was your mother the one that suggested the forgetting potion." Emma said to Regina.

"And I bet it was mine the one that suggested the Dark One to ask for his freedom." she muttered. "Which complicates things even further."

"Then what can we do?" Charming asked the room of people.

"We will do as Emma suggested and make them believe that they have the upper hand. The Queen can place a protective spell around her heart so only her can take it off her chest." Blue got a confirmation nod from Regina. "And Emma will be with her father pretending to agree to marrying Prince Killian. Meanwhile, you will approach the magical creatures and claim their leadership." she addressed Red. "With my support they will follow you no questions asked."

"Then what?" Dorian asked.

"You will tell Queen Abigail and King Frederick about agreeing to their alliance. The moment we capture Snow White it will be the moment we win this war." Blue said.

"It does make sense." Emma told Regina who was still eyeing the Blue Fairy carefully.

"Yes it does." she agreed.

"But..." Emma asked knowingly.

"There is something your Blue Fairy friend is not telling us and I do not like it." she confessed to the blonde.

"I don't like it either but she said that it was for your protection and I trust her enough to know that she realizes how much I care about you. And how much she knows it would hurt me if something ever happened to you." she whispered the last part.

"You do not have to worry about me." the brunette smiled. "I am strong and I will be protected by Anthony and the rest of the Elite Army."

"I know." Emma acknowledged. "But I just don't want to leave you. I don't want to go to the White Kingdom and pretend to not love you."

"But you must my dear. Without you and your father inside the castle we do not have a chance of entering the kingdom." the witch tried to reason with Emma.

"I know it's selfish of me to want my own happiness over the rest of people." the blonde knight said ashamed. "But each time I think we will be alright something or someone comes our way with a need to destroy our happiness. I just want it to end."

"I understand your sorrow Emma." Regina vehemently whispered. "But I am afraid that is the sacrifice we make as leaders: To put our happiness on hold so that others may have one as well."

"And that is what makes you a worthy queen, your Majesty." Blue smiled softly while respectfully bowing in front of the brunette. "One that many will follow."

"She is right your Majesty." Anthony promised her. "Your people are ready to fight for their freedom and happiness. They will not let you down."

"Nor do I expect them to." Regina smiled softly. "When must Emma leave for the White Kingdom?"

"She should be on her way tomorrow morning. That gives us reasonable time to spread the rumors of her poisoning and of her desire to go back home." Blue answered. "You must summon Queen Abigail and King Frederick to a meeting with you and your council after Emma leaves to ratify your alliance."

"That gives us enough time to talk with the Gold Army and discuss strategies." Anthony promised the Queen.

"And that gives him time to take a shower and get a new horse." Red pointed towards Charming who blushed in embarrassment.

"I was in a hurry to get here." he murmured.

"Now, Red Riding Hood, instead of mocking the King you should follow me to reclaim the leadership of the magical creatures." Blue told the younger brunette who huffed in agreement.

"You will do great." Emma promised the younger brunette. "I know it."

"Thank you Emma." she kissed the blonde on her forehead while leaving the room with Blue following her.

"Regina, do you think you could get Anthony and Dorian to show my father to his quarters and prepare him clothes and food?" Emma asked the brunette.

"You can do it yourself darling. My knights and people are yours to command as well." Regina promised her and got confirmation nods from Anthony and Dorian.

"We will do as you ask." Dorian promised while leaving the room.

"I will go talk to you later father." Emma promised him while smiling sadly and hugging him. "I'm so glad you are here with me." she confessed and felt him tighten his hold.

"So am I." he promised and with a last thankful look towards Regina he also left the room with Anthony following close-by.

The moment the door closed the two women felt all the fear of the day crushing their hearts, the imminent separation and the doubt of seeing each other again demanding them to make sure that they were alive. Running towards one another, Emma was the first one to reach Regina and in a mix of white and purple smoke, the two women found themselves in their room.

Quickly discarding their clothes, ferocious mouths met each other and roaming hands moved without shame. They were in sync with each other, they knew what made the other scream in ecstasy or grunt in needy annoyance. Emma could only think about having Regina close to her, how their bodies fit each other perfectly and how all that she was not the brunette was. They complimented each other and they were what the other needed. The love she felt for the witch was something she would have never expected to experience and now that she had it she refused to let it go. She was going to do everything in her power to come back to Regina, to give her the life she deserved and the love she needed.

Wet kisses were making her way down her throat and all Regina could focus on was the way Emma's pulse felt under her own mouth. She could hear the soft whimpers of desire that the blonde released after caressing a breast or moving a leg upward. She could feel their magic mixing together, their essence becoming one and their hearts beating as one. She wanted nothing else than to get away from this place with Emma and live on loving her and just being with her. She knew she needed nothing else, that there was no one or no material thing for her that would be more valuable than Emma and what they had. Yet she understood that this was her opportunity to make things right, to earn the forgiveness of the people she mistreated in the past and to redeem herself for her sins. It hurt to think of Emma leaving her, of imagining her cold and unloving towards her while pretending to care about someone else. She knew it was not real and yet her heart boiled in anger and jealousy at the notion of sharing the blonde with someone else. This made her touches harder, her mouth moving in a mission to brand the blonde and make the world know that she was yours. And based on the roaming hands on her back and behind, Emma was not against this possessiveness.

"Is this ok?" Regina asked while biting on the blonde's pulse.

"More than ok." Emma whispered vehemently. "I'm only yours Regina."

Whimpering in desire, the brunette lowered her hand and felt her girlfriend's imminent desire coating her fingers. Growling in contentment for being the one that got Emma so worked up, she continued teasing the younger woman until she could hear the blonde woman begging for her release.

"Regina, please..." Emma moaned while moving her hips in an attempt to create some friction. "Please baby make me come."

"Only I am the one allowed to make you feel this one." Regina growled.

"No one else Regina." the blonde promised. "And no one will." she professed and felt fingers moving inside of her, touching her in all the right places. "Oh god." she half-screamed, half-moaned.

"You feel so good Emma, so tight and ready for me." the brunette purred. "I love you." she moved her hand faster while alternating kisses between the blonde's collarbone and her nipples. "I love you, I love you." she kept on chanting until she could feel Emma's walls closing on her fingers and her ears could hear the scream that came out of the younger woman.

It took a couple of minutes for Emma to recover from her orgasm, but when she did she opened her eyes to the most beautiful sight in the world: Regina was staring at her with pure love and lust that it made her heart beat erratically. It took all of her energy to quickly turn them around, but now it was Emma the one on top of the brunette. She could feel her lover's desire on her leg and after touching her hesitantly, she moved her body so that her tongue could lick it all away. Although it was impossible for her to speak, she could hear Regina's words of encouragement and the small screams and moans that came out of her mouth thanks to her tongue moving inside of her. It always made her feel powerful and desired to know that she could be the one responsible for Regina's lost of control. The brunette woman was always so composed, always so respectful and balanced that to see her screaming profanities and obscenities made the blonde woman smile in amusement.

"Emma, I promise you that if you keep teasing me you will find yourself sleeping alone tonight." the witch threatened her.

"Oh really?" Emma raised herself to give a strong kiss to the brunette who moaned at the taste of herself in her mouth.

"Yes..." Regina whispered softly.

"I don't believe you." Emma teased the brunette while moving her hand downwards. "Especially when you know that I will make you come soon darling."

"Emma..." Regina moaned when the blonde's fingers started to erratically move. "Please..."

"If that is what my Queen demands then that is what she will have." Emma bowed and kissed her again so that Regina's scream could not be heard.

"That..." Regina whispered after a few moments of catching her breath. "Was spectacular." she happily smiled at the blonde who was smiling back at her. "I love you Emma Swan."

"And I love you with my whole heart, Regina Mills." the blonde promised her.

"I do not want you to leave tomorrow." the brunette whispered while looking at the wall. She didn't want Emma to see her be so weak.

"Hey..." Emma grabbed her chin and moved it until their eyes met. "The last thing I want to do is leave you. But we both know this is the only way to ensure our happiness."

"Just because I know it does not mean I have to agree with it." Regina huffed in anger and stood up from the bed. "All my life has been serving other people's needs and their happiness. My mother's, the king and Snow White's, the Dark One's, my people's. It has always been about them and I am tired of it." she finished vehemently. "When will my chance come?" she whispered dejectedly.

"A wise woman told me that our own happiness was the price we had to pay for the one of our people." Emma smiled. "I hate it that we have to put our desires on hold but at the same time I'm happy we are doing so because it means that we are good people Regina."

"I just do not want to lose you." Regina turned around and allowed Emma to see the tears that were falling from her eyes. "I do not know if I could survive it. I have lost too much and the mere thought of my life without you makes my heart ache in sorrow."

"Then I guess that means I will have to fight my hardest so I will make it back to you." Emma hugged the woman tightly to herself and felt her relax in the embrace.

"As a knight of the Dark Kingdom greatness and excellence is expected of you." Regina teased her lightly.

"What my Queen commands I will do." Emma kissed her hand while separating from her.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked her.

"Didn't you feel it?" Emma asked amused. "We are gonna have a visitor soon."

Regina closed her eyes for a few seconds in concentration and huffed in annoyance. "Her again? What does she plan to do? Bring us more 'wonderful news'?"

"I know you don't trust her because she supported my parents." Emma started. "But she cares about me and she raised me when my mother was absent. I know she will do whatever she can to protect me and the people I love."

"I do not trust her but I trust you." Regina promised her and with a flicker of her hand immediately dressed herself.

"You can come in Blue." the blonde yelled while following Regina to the living room and sitting down next to her.

"Your Majesty..." Blue bowed in respect. "Your Highness." she looked at Emma. "I apologize for interrupting you." the fairy blushed in embarrassment.

"Don't worry Blue, we were already done." Emma said and caught a surprised look from Regina. "I believe you came to tell us something of importance?"

"Yes..." Blue started to say but then focused on Regina and her eyes opened in disbelief.

"Blue?" Emma noticed the expression that went through the fairy's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong." Blue hesitated in her answer.

"Even I could tell that you were lying there." Regina huffed in anger.

"I repeat, nothing is wrong." she assured the two women. "But something unexpected has happened that does change plans."

"What plans?" Regina asked exasperated. "You tell us to trust you yet you reveal nothing."

"She's right Blue." Emma said in anger. "You know something that has to do with Regina and her wellbeing and yet you keep it to yourself."

"I knew of something that would happen." the fairy confessed. "But it appears that it already occurred."

"Nothing has occurred. I am feeling well and happy." Regina argued back.

"Regina, let Blue finish." Emma huffed in annoyance.

"Did you just tell me to shut up?"

"I didn't say that."

"Yes you did." the Queen stood up in anger.

"Where are you going?!" Emma asked irritated.

"To bed, this conversation is ridiculous. I am not sick nor am I feeling ill. I already have too many things to worry about than mystic visions and premonitions."

"You are pregnant your Majesty." Blue simply said and the two women froze in shock.

"How dare you?!" Regina screamed in anger. "You know what happened to me, what I had to do in order to prevent the king from giving me children and here you are telling me that I can have another chance at having a child?!"

"Blue..." Emma whispered. "What you're saying hurts both of us, for not only can't Regina have children, but I cannot give her one. For her to have one you are saying that she slept with someone else."

"You are two powerful magical beings that share Truest Love, which is the most powerful magic of all. When that occurs, there are no limitations to the gifts of said magic. I know you must have felt your magic combining and entering each other." she continued saying and saw a flicker of recognition and understanding from the two women. "The spell the Queen used to barren herself was a curse, and as you both are aware..."

"True Love can break any curse." Emma whispered while turning around to look at Regina who had become speechless. "Regina, could it be?" she asked while approaching the brunette and kneeling in front of her. "Could it be possible?"

"I do not know Emma." the brunette whispered while tears were falling from her eyes. "But you do not have to do this if you do not want to."

"If I don't want to?" Emma asked in shock.

"I do not want to tie you to something you did not ask. But I cannot, I will not destroy this life that may be growing inside of me. I cannot."

"And I would never ask you to." Emma promised her. "Perhaps I didn't think of children, but Regina, this right here is a result of our happiness, of our love and I want to be a part of it because I love you with my whole heart. I am so happy to give you what you have always dreamed of."

"You have given me a new life Emma." Regina cried. "I do not know how I will ever be able to thank you."

"Just love me." Emma stood up and kissed the brunette softly.

"Always and forever." Regina vowed and kissed her back. "We will have a child." she smiled.

"We will have a child." Emma whispered back. "Which means that now more than ever we need to succeed. This Regina..." she placed her hand on the brunette's stomach. "This is our reason for fighting, so that our child will grow in a happy and peaceful place."

"I understand." Regina said firmly while looking at Blue who had seen the whole exchange. "You said this was going to happen but not yet. Why?"

"Because I saw you having a child, but not yet. Your pregnancy your Majesty, because it is a magical one will be different and faster."

"How much faster?" she asked.

"Fast." Blue said. "Based on what I could feel, you are already 1 month and a half along."

"But that's impossible. It has only been days since we first had sex!" Emma screeched.

"Magical pregnancies have faster gestation and growth periods Emma." Blue explained to her.

"So instead of waiting 9 months the child could be born in two or three?" Regina asked with excitement and fear.

"Yes." Blue nodded. "And that means that you have to limit your use of magic because the child feeds on your magic."

"I understand." Regina smiled warmly after touching her stomach. "Thank you Blue for telling us and sorry for screaming at you."

"You have nothing to apologize for." she whispered and stood up from the couch. "I will leave you so you can further talk about this or just celebrate." Blue teased them and with a wink to Emma left the room.

 **Somewhere in the Dark Castle**

This new development was not good for the plan Fate had told her to follow, and yet it seemed as if it had been Fate the one responsible for allowing this pregnancy to occur now. She had to move forward with preparations, and while she thought she was going to have more time to inform the two young women, the fate of that child and his safety depended on her. Quickly walking through the castle, she went to the farthest and most isolated part of the magical creatures aisle. Right there, in a small hidden room, she opened the door and quietly went inside, making sure no one was following her. After closing and locking it, she followed the small light that emanated from the only window in the room. In front of it, in all of its splendor was standing the portal she had asked Marco to design many years ago. It had been such a sad thing for her to learn that the old man, in an attempt to save his child made him enter the portal and hence transport him to the other realm. Not only that, but she heard that the old man died years later, not giving up on reaching that land where his son was. Now that Fate had revealed to her that the portal had to be used by the Savior born out of the Dark Queen and the Light Princess, she understood that the fight that they were going to start here was going to end in the other realm. She had to make sure their only hope made it safe, that he could be cared for and prepared for his role. The idea of him being alone had scared her and made her doubt about Fate's plan. But then again, Fate had told her to trust them and their plans for they were the best. They promised young Henry a good life that would prepare him for his mission and his role as the future author. She had to believe them their intentions. Closing her eyes in contempt, she touched the carved wood and smiled in remembrance of the two people that had been separated because of said portal.

"Now, instead of tearing people apart this portal will bring us all together." she whispered and prepared herself for what she imagined was about to come.


	19. Plans and Surprises Part 2

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the long wait, but my thesis took control of my life during most of this semester. Now that I'm finally done with it and had a small break, I wrote this chapter! Hope you like it and we are reaching the end of this story very soon. I think that in 3 maybe 4 chapters. Thank you all for following, favoriting and reviewing this story. I started it as a quick idea and now more than 100000 I am sad to see it finished. Nevertheless, as you will probably see, there will be a sequel :) Kudos and reviews are always welcomed!

PS: No beta so all mistakes are mine. I try to not make them but there will probably be some. Once I'm done writing the story I will re-read and check the mistakes.

* * *

 **At the Dark Castle**

"Can I come in?" Emma asked while knocking lightly on the wooden door.

When it opened Emma saw her father staring calmly at her, a soft smile on his face. Yet, the blonde knew that this was a facade Charming was putting up so no one would see the emptiness he was currently experiencing.

"Emma." he said while moving to the side to let her in. "Of course. Nothing would make me happier."

Emma smiled and entered the room, quickly making her way to the couch and sitting on it. She waited for her dad to get closer to her, and after he saw down she grabbed his hand.

"Emma, I'm so sorry." Charming started while refusing to look at her daughter, the shame of what he had tried to do eating him alive.

"Dad." Emma said softly while making him look at her. "There is nothing to forgive. You did the right thing, you came here to save me, you defended my love and you helped us remain together. I should be thanking you for what you did."

"I was such a hypocrite. I, who always talked to you about the wonders of True Love almost made you marry a man you don't know, much less love. And, the worst part is that it is a man who I know has no honor or respect for women. I did it because I believed it was the only answer to our problems, that maybe he would change and be a good husband for you. But I was wrong, I was blinded by my love and blind trust I had for your mother." he whispered the last part.

"You love her." Emma whispered. "I now understand what it feels like to love someone that has darkness in them. I can understand how much you would want to believe that the person you fell in love with, the woman I heard stories about when I was a child, is still inside of her. But I cannot be that naive. WE cannot be that naive." she said dejectedly.

"Are you giving up on your mother?" Charming said loudly. "I cannot do that. I believe in our love."

"And that is why I love you, because you never give up on the people you love. But I can't be that way if my mother's path towards power and revenge threatens the people I love. I have to protect my family."

"I understand that." Charming said exasperated. "But Red, Granny and Regina are very capable of taking care of themselves. We need to bring your mother back."

Emma smiled sadly at him. "It's not them I'm worried about. Those three are the most independent and powerful women I have ever met. Many times they saved me from the White guards and dangers mother threw at us. But dad, something wonderful happened to me today, despite all the darkness that has been a part of our life since I escaped the White kingdom." Emma said with joy and happiness. "Regina is pregnant."

Charming was speechless. He could not believe what he was hearing or why his daughter was reacting in such a way.

"It's my child." Emma explained. "My flesh and blood."

"But... but that is impossible. You are both women." he mumbled.

"We are both powerful witches who share Truest Love." she smiled warmly while thinking of Regina and her unborn child. "Trust me, I didn't believe it too when I first heard the news from Blue."

"Emma..." Charming said carefully. "Are you sure that's the truth?"

"What are you suggesting?" Emma asked angrily. "And I'm sure because Regina was barren. She cursed herself so she wouldn't have the children of Leopold, who tortured and raped her every night for years!" she screamed. "So yes, I'm sure the child is mine because I broke the curse, it was my magic that created the child and because of that I will protect it with my life."

Charming look down in sadness and shame. If he had to be honest with himself, he trusted Regina to be faithful to Emma. The love between the two of them was obvious and there was no way one would hurt the other in such a way. The reason why he had questioned Regina's integrity was because he was jealous of her daughter. He was jealous of the love she found, of the happiness she was experiencing with the news of expanding her family. Meanwhile here he was, a runaway king that had been cheated, deceived and manipulated by the mother of her child and True Love. His daughter was living the life he was meant to be, experiencing a love more powerful than his with a woman that was the least likely person he would have imagined her daughter to be with. And yet, it made sense. It made sense that Snow was responsible for taking Regina's happiness and also for giving it back to her.

"I'm sorry Emma." Charming said after an uncomfortable silence. "Perhaps I am just jealous of your happiness. I know it makes me be an awful father, to desire what you have and not be happy for you having found the love you were looking for. But when we were younger, and Regina was still the Evil Queen, I would have never imagined her capable of changing her ways. I know that if she was capable of doing so, of becoming a better ruler and person, then Snow is capable of the same. Isn't she?"

Emma thought about what her father just told her and there was some truth in his naivetivity. Regina had also been once consumed by darkness, driven by revenge. And she had been put to trial by Fate, and succeeded in showing everyone who she really was, that she could change. Didn't her mother deserve the same chance? Would she be able to take such a risk in giving her mother a second chance? She now had to worry about her family, about her unborn child and what it would mean when the Kingdoms found out that the Dark Kingdom and White Kingdom had an heir. It was too risky to let her mother, and Regina's if one is focusing on people that were willing to destroy their happiness, roam free. She was a firm believer of there not being a good or evil side, but she was not going to gamble with the safety of her lover and child. Not when it meant that Regina would be weakened and incapable of defending herself with magic. It was now up to her to keep her family safe. And she was going to do so no matter the consequences.

"I want to believe that." Emma said carefully. "But I will not put at risk the safety of Regina and my unborn child. I have to put MY family first. And I know you are also part of that family." she whispered. "But I also know you understand my position because you did the same thing when you turned to dust the heart of Regina's father." she implored her father. "You killed a man who could have been saved because you wanted to make sure Regina had no way of destroying your happiness. In fact, if Regina wouldn't have escaped you would have probably killed her if it meant the safety of your family."

Charming was numbed and speechless because he knew her daughter was right. He had done everything in his power to make sure his family was safe, had even killed an innocent man and would have killed Regina if she wouldn't have escaped. In fact, Snow had been adamant about putting Regina in a prison just like the one the Dark One had, that way they wouldn't darken their hearts with her death. But Charming had been adamant about keeping themselves safe, arguing that Regina would always want to kill Snow. He was willing to go all the way in order to ensure the safety of the people he loved. And now Emma was facing the same dilemma he had faced, and was basically telling him that she would choose the same way he did. Emma did not see Snow as her mother, and sadly he did not blame her for it. Instead, she saw Snow as the enemy, the one person willing to do whatever it took to get what she wanted, to destroy her happiness. So who was Charming to ask his daughter to do what he couldn't do many years ago?

"You are asking me to choose between the woman I love and a woman who never showed me love. A woman who you may love, and I understand the love that can come from True Love because thank the Fates I feel it too. But just as that love makes you love Snow more than me, that love makes me love Regina more than you two." Emma said honestly. "My other half will always come first, no matter what. I have tried to understand how Snow was able to put herself before you or me, because all I feel is the need to put Regina and my child before myself. Isn't that what a parent is supposed to do? Put a child and their partner before themselves?" she chuckled while looking at her father. "That's why I don't see Snow as my mother, because I don't remember her being my mother. I mean, Red and Granny left the Kingdom and their safety aside in order to find me, which was something my mother should have done. Yet here we are, you imploring me to forgive and give another chance to a woman who never wanted to be my mother. One who right now is plotting with another evil woman to destroy us all. So tell me, father, how am I supposed to do what you are asking of me and at the same time ensure the safety of Regina and my child, of Red and Granny and the rest of people that are following us?" she stood up. "I cannot be your daughter and a Knight of the Dark Kingdom at the same time. My duty is to my Queen and her kingdom. I have to keep them safe and that is what I will do."

"I understand." Charming whispered with tears in his eyes. "And you must think I'm such a foolish man because I can see the evil Snow has done, the atrocities done under her rule and yet here I am asking you to forgive her."

"Not foolish." Emma said sadly. "A man in love. Were it Regina I would be the same way." she assured the man. "We can't help who we love dad. But just because I understand you, that does not mean I won't do what is necessary. If there is an opportunity to save Snow without endangering Regina or my child then I will do it." the blonde promised. "In fact, I'm sure Regina will be the one stopping me from killing Snow if it comes to that." she chuckled softly. "She's the conscience now."

"She is not the same woman I knew a long time ago." Charming said, appeased by what her daughter had promised him. She was giving him a chance to convince Snow to stop the fighting and surrender. He couldn't ask more of her. Not if he wanted to make sure that his unborn grandchild would remain safe. An unborn child of both the White and Dark Kingdom.

"Emma, do you understand how powerful your child will be?" Charming asked softly. "Your child will be the legitimate heir of the White and Dark Kingdom. Ruler of most of the magical creatures of this realm and most of its land."

"I know." Emma said softly, having already thought about that while making her way towards her father's room. "I'm sure Regina will ask me to remain Queen of the White Kingdom. She told me that it is a part of me and that a legitimate White should rule over it."

"But you don't want that." Charming said knowingly.

"I trust Regina's judgment, and I'm sure I will not be a bad Queen. But I enjoy the freedom of being a knight, the thrill of fighting with a sword and riding a horse around the land. If I become a Queen then certain things will be expected of me."

"I think..." Charming said conspirationally. "That Regina and you are already changing the way a royal is meant to behave that a fighting Queen will not be frowned upon. Because I agree with her, the White Kingdom must be ruled by a White. I mean, you are basically joining your life with another woman, an act that although accepted by the peasants is not done by royals."

"Since the goal of royal marriages is to create heirs that can unite kingdoms." Emma muttered.

"Lucky for you two your kingdoms will still have heirs because you two are capable of conceiving children. A blessing that shows how much Fate wants this union to happen. Hence, who am, or anyone else, to stop it?"

Emma smiled warmly at her father's words and engulfed him in a strong hug. It had been so long since she had the opportunity of talking with her dad and not King David. He had missed the man who taught her how to yield a sword and ride a horse very much. And now here he was supporting her and joining her in her fight to get the kingdom back.

"I missed you dad." Emma whispered with tears falling from her eyes.

"And I missed you too." Charming also said while hugging her daughter, enjoying the love and warmth he could feel from their now restored bond.

"We will get things right. I promise you." Emma vowed and Charming smiled softly. "Tomorrow we make our way to the White Kingdom and must be careful. You need to make Snow believe that you know nothing about her plan."

"How will we explain the Huntsman's absence?"

"Leave that to me." Emma said darkly. "All you have to worry about is telling a messenger to go to the White Kingdom and give the news to Snow of our return."

"But if we tell a messenger then the whole realm will find out."

"That is the plan." Emma smiled sadly. "Everyone, except our close trusted circle, must believe that the Huntsman succeeded and that I no longer love Regina. That I want to go to the White Kingdom so I can marry Prince Killian."

"How does Regina feel about that?" Charming asked knowingly.

"She doesn't like it, but she knows it's the only way if he want to make Snow believe she succeeded. Besides, she has the help of Cora so that can mean she could have spies roaming around our walls. We can't risk it by only making the White Kingdom believe I drank the potion."

"I understand." Charming promised while moving to the door, following his daughter. "And I believe you want me to go now fetch the messenger and send him on his way?"

"Yes." Emma said. "This is my last night with Regina until we meet again at the gates of the White Kingdom. I want to spend my last moments with her." she whispered.

"Then go to her. I know you are worried about not seeing her again." Charming smiled softly. "And don't try to tell me otherwise because I have been in your position many times." he scolded her daughter. "But you are a Charming, and you know we always find the people we love." he said and Emma couldn't stop herself from chuckling.

"I will tell Regina you said that." the blonde joked while thanking her father. He was right, she was terrified of not seeing Regina and her child again.

"The fear of losing the people you love doesn't make you weak Emma. It makes you be more determined in making your way back to them." Charming said and left Emma on her way to Regina's room.

SQSQSQSQSQSQSQ

"How was it?" Regina whispered when she saw the woman she loved crawl into bed.

"Sad." Emma answered honestly. "But he knows where I stand."

"Where do you stand?"

"My family will always come first, no matter what." Emma looked at Regina. "If I have to choose, I will always choose you and our child."

"I am sorry you are forced to choose between your parents and us." Regina whispered sadly.

"My mother decided her own fate when she tried to kill us all." the blonde said determined. "But that doesn't mean my dad is ready to see her be captured, or worse, die."

"Do you think it will come to that?"

"I don't know." Emma answered honestly. "But we have seen what she is capable of. What she has done and will continue to do to tear us apart. The last thing I want to do is leave the two people I love the most behind. But I'm terrified of what she would do to our child were she to know you're pregnant. Our child is the heir to her Kingdom, a true heir that can and will unite your Kingdom and mine. Do you know what that would mean?"

"I know." Regina whispered. "And our child will have magic too, very powerful magic. A child of Truest Love has never been born before, so people will want its power for their own gains."

"So our child will never be safe." the blonde muttered.

"Our child will be safe because we will protect him with everything we have." Regina vowed.

"Him?" Emma smiled warmly.

"I just a feeling that our baby will be a beautiful boy." the brunette whispered. "A beautiful boy with your eyes and chin."

"I thought you didn't like us Charmings."

"I can tolerate two of them." Regina joked and earned herself a scoff from her lover.

"My dad was happy for us, in his own way." Emma confided on Regina. "He was sad because our love reminded him of the one he had with Snow."

"Understandable. When we were at war with each other all I could think about, apart from killing Snow White, was how much I wanted to have a person that loved me just as much as your father loved Snow."

"It may have taken a while, but I think you got what you wanted." Emma smirked at Regina and kissed her. "My dad also told me it made sense. That since my mother was the one responsible of taking your happiness away she would be the one giving it back to you."

Regina smiled warmly at said thought, not having thought about it before. Yet it was true. Snow had been responsible, in a way, of Daniel getting killed. And now she was also responsible of bringing Emma into this world. Charming and her had shaped their little girl into the woman she now loved with all her heart and had given her the opportunity to be a mother. Snow White had been the destroyer of her past self and the builder of her future self. All thanks to Emma, her shiny knight in white armor (well black now), willing to do whatever it took to keep them safe. Willing to even kill her own mother if it endangered their lives.

"We will try to save Snow." Regina vowed to Emma. "If I was able to turn away from the darkness then there is also a chance for her to do the same."

"I don't think I'll be able to forgive her for what she has done." Emma whispered.

"You don't have to forgive her." the brunette said. "But believe me when I tell you that the pain of being responsible for the death of your own parent is one that never goes away. Every day I feel the emptiness that comes with the knowledge of being responsible for the death of my own father." Regina continues while caressing the blonde's cheek. "You have a beautiful heart Emma. I do not want you to taint it. I want to protect it just as much as you want to protect us both."

"We both know my heart is not pure Regina. I have killed people."

"Because there was no other choice. And it is naive to believe that a person's heart can be either pure or dark. No one can be only good or bad."

"We all have different shades of gray." Emma said while hugging Regina close to her.

"But that is not the only thing scaring you, is it dear?" the brunette could feel the blonde's nerves and fear through their connection.

"I'm scared of not finding my way back to you. Or worse, that something will happen to you two while I'm not here." Emma confessed with tears in her eyes. "You two are everything I have and need."

"I understand your fear because I share it. You have no idea what I would give for you to remain here at my side, safe from our mothers' claws. I am terrified that something may go wrong while you are there at the White Kingdom. I am afraid that I cannot use my magic much and that without it I cannot do much to protect you. I am afraid my mother realizes our plan and decides to again take away from me a person I love. But this time I know it will be worse than with Daniel because the love I have for you cannot compare to the one I had for him. Without you my life has no sense Emma." Regina finished while crying in the arms of the woman who meant everything to her.

Emma could feel all of Regina's emotions. The fear, the love, the panic of being alone and the sorrow of even considering a life without her. It only made her feel more determined about their plan. They had to succeed, they had to take her Kingdom back and capture Snow and Cora. It was the only way the two of them would be safe and happy. For the future of their child.

Holding Regina close to her, she poured all of her love, her bravery and her determination into the older woman. She wanted to make Regina feel confident about their mission, about their plan and that they had the advantage. She couldn't allow Regina to have any doubts because then those doubts would be passed to her. The two needed to keep a united front, especially if they wanted to have the rest of the kingdom following their lead. Although they were scared, they needed to be brave and be the leaders their people needed.

"We will succeed Regina. I promise you this." Emma vowed while kissing her wife's neck.

"I believe you." Regina whispered, and with a last thought of the three of them together in the castle the brunette closed her eyes. Not a few minutes later, the blonde was doing the same with a smile on her face. Regina had given her a beautiful image of their family and she was going to make that image become their reality.

 **Outside the White Kingdom**

"Did dear Queen Snow give you the potion I procured for her?" Rumple smirked while using his magic to make a fire.

"She did." Manohara said and used his magic to turn back to Cora. "Now that I turned back to my old self it has become tedious to be a man. I don't know how you men can function."

"What I don't know is how you were able to function in that way with the Queen." the wizard laughed. "I knew you were a despicable human being, but what you have done to that woman is horrendous. Turning her heart dark, manipulating and then fucking her so she would keep you close while keeping your true identity a secret. You know, you could be considered her grandmother." he smirked at the last part.

"The means do not matter in my path to acquire power. Before that power was with Snow White. Now it has shifted and we need a new start, a fresh start. This land is not enough. Although it is hard to believe, my daughter and the brat of Snow and Charming could win and become rulers of the two kingdoms. In fact, were they to make it inside the castle many would rebel against Snow. She has mistreated them too much."

"Yet you don't believe your plan to poison the Princess will fail. You must have a lot of faith on the person you sent to do your bidding."

"He has a very good motivation to succeed. He loves my daughter and wants the Princess out of the way so he can be with her. Or he believes he loves her. The man is too damaged, too polluted by the past and the things he did that he does honestly things that Regina is better off dead than with Emma."

"And still you sent him there. Such a volatile man can be dangerous." Rumple reminded her.

"I sent him with a backup plan. A poison that would force Emma to choose between drinking it and saving my daughter. And since she is her father's child..."

"She will choose saving the woman she loves and drink the potion." the Dark One finished. "Clever indeed."

"It would help if you were capable of seeing what happened, but since your power of sight disappeared I guess we will have to trust the messenger I placed at the Dark Kingdom."

Rumple felt the attack and was almost ready to throw a fireball at the woman. But he knew he had to play along with her since she was the one with the plan. He had no way of casting the curse by himself, that was clear. So, if it meant he had to stick with Cora until she took Regina's heart then he was going to take every insult she threw at him and keep it locked. Of course, locked until he found the way to destroy her and take his revenge.

"When do you expect to hear from your messenger?" Rumple said.

"Tomorrow morning. The meeting was scheduled for the afternoon, and if they are trying to keep an united front they will try to hide what happened to the Princess. Yet, she cannot force her to stay, especially since Charming arrived to the Dark Castle on schedule."

"King David is there?"

"Oh yes, and based on what my messenger saw, he was on top of a big wolf frantically making his way towards the castle, screaming at the animal to go faster because the alarm was turned on."

"So that means Regina was in danger. Which makes you believe the Huntsman was successful."

"And tomorrow we will find out if we have to prepare the court for the arrival of Princess Emma." Cora smirked. "Once my messenger tells me this I will tell Queen Snow to get Prince Killian's troops and make way for my daughter's kingdom. As soon as the Princess is married to Killian I can go to my daughter's kingdom and tell her about what happened."

"Such a good mother." Rumple said evilly.

"I wouldn't be a good mother if I didn't offer her a way to get revenge. I would offer to be by her side and help her get the revenge she wants on Snow White and Prince Killian. And since my daughter will be too heartbroken to think better, she will welcome me back with open arms."

"Regina's doom with be the love she still has for you. Something that I find a disgusting thing. You have never done a single thing for her, instead manipulated and destroyed her future. Yet she still loves you enough to believe you can change."

"If I had a heart I would feel bad about what you just said. But because I don't I really don't care. The moment I'm alone with Regina will be the moment I will take her heart out. Once that is done I'll come back to the Dark Forest, where you will wait for me and we will cast the curse."

"Your plan is perfect." Rumple said and saw Cora smiling darkly. "Except that we don't have the scroll with the incantation needed to cast the curse."

"But I know who has it." Cora smirked. "And I know where it is since I was the person in charge of keeping it safe." the witch smiled darkly and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

 **In the Dungeons of the Dark Kingdom**

"Wake up." the Huntsman heard an angry voice yell at him while he felt his body be wet by water. When he opened his eyes he saw the Princess standing in front of him, anger clear in her eyes.

"I will not speak to you." the Huntsman bragged while smirking at the blonde.

"That's what you say now." Emma answered angrily and used her magic to conjure a whip. "But by the time we are done you will be dead and I will be kissing Regina good morning."

"Regina is mine!" the man bellowed.

"No, she is mine!" Emma screamed back at him and hit him straight in the chest, earning herself a hiss from the man. "She was mine the moment we met and our hearts felt each other. So I know there is no way she will choose a low-life such as yourself to take my place."

"Regina cannot be your True Love because she is the Evil Queen and she has dark magic."

"Well, the fact that we are Truest Loves proves to you that is not true."

"You must have done something to her. Made her drink something to make her believe she loves you."

"I drank nothing." the Huntsman heard and saw Regina appearing behind Emma, who was not surprised at the presence of the woman behind her. "Your deluded dreams have led you towards a dark path huntsman, one that you will pay the consequences for."

"So kill me then, what are you waiting for?"

"Emma wanted to do just that, kill you right away. But I convinced her otherwise. I convinced her to let me do what I do best and get the information I need from you before things became nasty." Regina smiled darkly. "Besides, that would be something the Evil Queen would do, right darling?" she caressed Emma's cheek and saw the Huntsman's eyes darkening.

"Indeed." Emma smirked when she noticed the effect the two were having on him. "That guy who told you to give me the potion tricked you into getting captured and killed. And for what? To just show us that our love is stronger than any person or magic in this realm? she cackled. "Thank you for showing us what Snow White was planning and for giving us a good excuse to get rid of you."

"You see Huntsman, the man who gave you the potion was controlled by a witch, my mother. She wanted to make you do her dirty work and knew that no matter the result you were going to be killed. Either by my hand or Emma's." she shrugged. "So, although for fate will be death, perhaps you will want to help us."

"Help you in what way?" the huntsman asked warily.

"By telling us what my mother wanted you to do after you gave the potion to Emma. What was the next step?" Regina asked him.

The Huntsman looked at Regina, and thinking about the things he had done, he realized he had been tricked by the witch. She knew he was never going to be with Regina and had just used her desperation to get what she wanted. That's why she told him to give the potion to Princess Emma and not Regina. She wanted Regina to remember the pain of losing a loved one. And to then kill him. He was going to make that woman pay.

"She told me that King David would come to the White Kingdom the next day. That he would want to speak to his daughter and that I would have to give her the potion by then. He had to hear from her that she wanted to go back to the White Kingdom and that a messenger would watch everything from a safe location. The moment Princess Emma and David left for your kingdom she was going to tell Queen Snow White to get Prince Killian and marry her daughter off for his army."

Regina looked at Emma, and after watching the anger the blonde was feeling at hearing how her mother was being manipulated, the older woman used a spell to put the Huntsman in a deep sleep.

"He has told us everything he knows."

"So can I kill him then?" Emma asked while taking her blade out.

"You cannot. You should be in your father's quarters getting ready to leave the Kingdom." Regina whispered.

"You know it's not real, right? You know that's the last thing I want to do."

"Of course I know it is not real." the brunette scoffed. "That does not mean I like the idea of you leaving my side and bed."

Emma smiled warmly and kissed her deeply, making the witch moan in delight. "The faster I get to the White Kingdom the faster you will come and rescue me."

"Now that we know that Snow will call Prince Killian as soon as she finds out you are on your way that gives us 5 days to prepare. The trip will take you 4 days and then your mother will marry you the next morning. We need to transport our forces to a close location, one that you will let us know as you reenter the White Kingdom."

"After that, you will probably have to dine with Snow and my mother. You have to make sure that you fail to recognize her. The potion makes you forget every memory you had of me, which means that technically you should not be able to remember that Manohara is my mother. She will test you on this and will probably make you prove your indifference towards me. How she will do that I am not sure. Whatever she says, whatever she does, you cannot react. The success of our plan, our future depends on this." Regina said vehemently.

"I understand." Emma promised her. "Meanwhile, what will you do?"

"I will get rid of this scum." she pointed at the Huntsman. "And get Abigail to bring the army she promised us. After that, we will wait until we hear from you."

"Ok." the blonde agreed. "As long as you get rid of him then I'm happy."

"Your wish is my command." Regina purred while kissing Emma, wanting to feel the bond between the two of them.

"Why did that feel like a goodbye kiss?" Emma whispered after the two women separated.

"Because you will transport back to your father's room and I will go back to mine." Regina said sadly. "I cannot see you off Emma. The pain is too real and at least it will help us make this whole plan even more believable."

"So I will be the only one unable to show how much it pains me to leave your side?" Emma asked angrily. "That's not fair."

"I know." the older woman smiled while caressing Emma's cheek. "Which is why I will suffer for both of us. Your pain will be my pain, my sweet Emma."

"This is not goodbye." Emma cried while hugging Regina tightly, peppering her whole body with kisses and soft bites. "I will see you soon Regina. And when I see you I will offer you Snow White's crown."

"A crown that I will take and then place on your head, where it belongs." Regina promised while crying her eyes out. "We will be waiting for you, my love."

"And I will be counting the seconds until I make my way back to you two." the blonde vowed while kneeling and kissing Regina's stomach. "My brave little man..." Regina chuckled when she heard Emma also address the baby as a boy. "Protect your mother for me. Keep her safe until I come back." she kissed the stomach one last time before standing up.

None of them wanted to part ways, they were not ready to not see each other. They stayed quietly staring at one another, taking a mental picture of the way the two of them looked so that image would keep them company at night. Emma had to make sure Red and Granny stayed close to Regina, protecting and keeping her safe and happy. She knew that the two werewolves cared about the brunette. And, once the two women smelled Regina she was sure they would find out that she was expecting their child, something that would make them be more feral about protecting Emma's cub.

Giving one last smile, Emma turned around and prepared her magic to come forward. Nevertheless, before she could complete the spell she felt strong arms hold her tightly, desperately. Opening her eyes she saw Regina searching her eyes and then giving her a kiss that was nothing like all the others they had shared before. This one was so much more than that, it was the epitome of their love, of them realizing that there was never going to be anyone else for them. The two of them realized that the person in front of them was it, their happy ending the end of the lone journey they had started and was meant to end with them being in each others' arms.

"When we get your kingdom back and we make sure that things return to normal." Regina whispered while staring deeply at Emma. "I want you to marry me, Emma Swan. Will you marry me?"

Emma smiled happily at Regina, at the hope she had given the two of them with these words. They were creating a future together, they had a new goal and destination that would only be possible with them succeeding. And damn everyone that tried to stop them from getting this future.

"Yes I will, Regina Mills. I will marry you." Emma said softly and sealed her promise with a sweet and lingering kiss.


	20. Operation Snow Heart Part 1

**Author's Note:** Hi! Since I was absent for a long time I decided to double treat you and update another big chapter! I believe there are only 2, 3 chapters left to this story, so hold on tight because things from now on will get very interesting. Again, no Beta so all mistakes are mine.

* * *

 **At the Dark Kingdom**

"Isn't that Princess Emma?" a woman started to ask when she saw the Princess with her father making their way towards the border of the town.

"Yes it is." a man whispered while trying to understand what was going on. "Is she leaving?"

"She's going back to the White Kingdom." a blacksmith said while staring at the royals. "King David came to convince her daughter of going back and marrying Prince Killian. Once she does that her treason will be forgiven."

"But she is Queen Regina's Truest Love." the woman shrieked in fear. If the Princess was leaving then that meant they were screwed.

"It's not as simple as that." another man with an old robe said while approaching them. "Queen Snow made Princess Emma drink a forgetting potion. Princess Emma does not remember the love she shared with our Queen."

"Matters not." the blacksmith smirked. "The fact that she is leaving means that now the White Kingdom will get the army of Prince Killian. And as you can all see, since yesterday no one has seen Queen Regina. She could have at least said goodbye."

"Of course she is not saying goodbye, she is heartbroken." the woman defended her Queen.

"I knew it was a bad idea to join this rebellion." the blacksmith continued saying, trying to make the people around him doubt the cause. "We should all just follow them out and beg the White Queen for forgiveness."

"Because Queen Snow is the epitome of mercy." the woman spat at him. "I have seen the changes Queen Regina has gone through and she has earned my loyalty. I will stay and fight with her to get her lover and kingdom back."

"Besides, I'm sure she will not give up so easily. She is a very determined individual if we can all remember." an old woman joined the conversation while chuckling softly. "Our Queen will move heaven and earth until she is reunited with her Truest Love."

All the people stopped talking when the horses that were carrying the Princess and her father passed in front of them. They took the opportunity to look at Princess Emma and saw her cold and distant stare not focus on anything. It made them feel sorry for the Queen and imagine what it must have taken her to allow the love of her life to leave. They were angry and wanted to help their Queen get her happy ending, damn it the woman deserved it. Snow White's attempts at making them go back infuriated them, and after witnessing what she had just done to her daughter, made them distrust the monarch. Queen Snow, who had argued in favor of True Love many times, was destroying the bond of two individuals that shared this pure light magic just because it didn't fit her plans. If she was capable of doing this to her own daughter then no one was safe. They had to stop her.

"One thing I have learned." the husband of the old woman told the younger people while watching the Princess and her father leave. "Is that True Love always conquers it all. Our Queen and her Princess will find each other again."

"Even if they do meet again Queen Regina can't do anything about it because the Princess doesn't love her. And, I think that our Queen not being here speaks more than words. It seems that Princess Emma did what no other person ever did before: She broke the Evil Queen's heart." he teased and this is when the man with the old robe got behind him.

"You are sure fast in switching sides and Queens." the man with the robe angrily said while taking it off and revealing that he was Anthony of Brownwille, Knight and Captain of the Queen's army. "I hereby arrest you for treason and for ill-speaking" he angrily pushed the man forward and saw him smiling.

"You are too late." the blacksmith smile disappeared and a gasp of pain was heard when he doubled in pain.

It only took a couple of seconds, but when Anthony bowed down and tried to find a pulse he noticed that the man was already dead. Standing up and telling the people around them that they had no business here, he got some knights that were making rounds around the town to carry the body of the blacksmith inside the castle. It pleased him to see the support and understanding the people had towards their Queen and the sorrow she was expected to experience. Although it was all a very well planned strategy, the sadness his Queen felt while watching Queen Emma leave was real.

 _(Flashback to Earlier)_

"First of all, I want to thank you for coming in such a quick manner." Regina started while sitting down in a chair, quickly followed by Princess Emma who sat next to her. "We are having this meeting because of some disturbing facts we have uncovered these last couple of days." she addressed her council. "As some of you may be aware, yesterday Queen Snow White tried to make Princess Emma drink a forgetting potion. Thankfully, the traitor failed and he is now in our dungeons awaiting his sentence. The Huntsman's attempt, although futile, helped us prove our earlier theories: that Snow White had spies inside our rebellion. Nevertheless, the deceit goes deeper because Snow White is being aided by a powerful witch, one that until recently I thought had died. My mother, Cora." she said regretfully.

"But you told me she died." Abigail said from her seat, worried about what this meant for her old friend.

"Because I believed it. Imagine the surprise we had when she tried to stop us from entering the Dark Forest." Regina said scornfully. "There are some good and bad things that come from us knowing my mother's involvement. The first one is that my mother is not a natural witch. Her magic, unlike the one Emma and I have, comes from reading and absorbing spells. Without the aid of a spell book she cannot create new incantations or abilities. Hence, the fact that we possess her magic book can let us know what spells she knows. Nevertheless, since we also know what spells she can or cannot do, the magic necessary to create a forgetting potion was a power she did not have."

"Which means that there is someone else helping them." Frederick finished Regina's line of thought.

"Yes, and if our suspicions are correct then this individual is the Dark One." Regina told the council and saw their reaction. They were surprised and scared, which was expected.

"We trust our Queen and Knight magical abilities." a councilman started. "But we are facing two powerful dark magic wielders and the forces of the White Kingdom. The odds are not in our favor."

"Perhaps we don't have the strongest numbers but we do have something they don't." Emma argued while standing up. "We have the advantage of them not knowing that their plan failed."

"What do you mean?" Abigail asked.

"No one knows what exactly happened inside the meeting since it was limited to members of the council. The only thing people know is that the Queen was in danger and that King David was seen hastily making his way to the castle."

"Which gives us the advantage of manipulating what happened." Regina smiled. "It is a big gamble to make this assumption, but we have to believe that the Dark One's powers are limited to rudimental magic. One thing that made many fear him was his power of sight. For some strange reason I believe he has lost it, especially if he is willing to work with my mother."

"Why do you think he is with your mother and not with Snow White?" Frederick asked.

Emma gave a quick look at her father and got a soft, sad smile in confirmation for her to tell the truth. "My mother has been having an affair with a powerful wizard called Manohara." she then looked at Ruby who confirmed this. "At first we didn't know who this wizard was or looked like because of a glamour spell. Nevertheless, when he tried to stop us we realized that this man was no man at all." Emma chocked the last words out and looked at Regina for help.

"This man was my mother, pretending to be a man so Snow would not recognize her from her childhood." she solemnly finished and saw the surprised and disgusted faces of the people inside the room. "She manipulated Snow White and probably placed a spell that turned her heart dark." she said while looking at Charming.

"That is unbelievable but it also makes sense." Abigail muttered while looking at Charming with sadness and understanding. "Why her views changed from one day to the other."

"Snow's darkened heart makes her dangerous and unpredictable, especially if she is still being manipulated by my mother."

"So your mother is the mastermind behind all of this. She wants to rule over the whole realm?" Frederick asked.

"I don't believe it's that simple." Emma argued. "Especially if she managed to get the help of the Dark One. I mean, he could have remained where he was or waited for our arrival and yet he decided to ally with a woman who he hated. Why?"

"Because my mother, in her search of power, probably realizes that Snow White is too hated for her to rule. You see, my mother never liked to be at the spotlight and be the direct target of people. She always liked to be behind the scenes, be the one whispering ideas and plans to her puppet leaders. She did this with Snow White and now that the rebellion is underway she knows there needs to be a change of scenery."

"I don't understand." a councilwoman said, confused by everything that was being discussed. It was too fantastical to be true and yet deep inside she knew they were not lying.

"What our Queen is trying to say is that Queen Snow's position has been compromised. No matter the result, she is aware that she will lose the White Kingdom." Evelyne explained.

"Then why even get an army to fight us if she knows Snow will lose the war?" Red asked.

"Because she is not looking to rule this realm." Emma said as soon as she realized what Regina was thinking. It all made sense now. "She wants the battle to be a distraction, to get Regina stressed and desperate. She wants to get close to you."

"Why would she believe that our Queen would allow her back in? Specially after knowing that she had been allied with Snow White? Dorian asked.

"Because she believes I am heartbroken." Regina smiled sadly. "She believes her plan succeeded and that Emma is on her way back to the White Kingdom. In fact, it would not surprise me to see that manipulating Snow into getting the potion from the Dark One was also part of her plan."

"Why not get it herself if she is allied with the Dark One already?" Charming asked.

"Because she wants to make Snow believe that she is only faithful and loyal towards her. She wants to make Snow believe that she is the mastermind behind every plan and strategy. She wants to make her believe she has the power when in reality it is my mother the one moving the pieces."

"This is all messed up." Red exclaimed in annoyance. "Not only do we have to worry about a crazy evil Snow, but also about a crazy AND evil genius Cora AND the Dark One."

"And what does your mother hope to achieve by getting close to you? Be your new advisor?" Abigail asked.

"I do not think so." Regina replied. "My mother knows me well and she knows that the moment I get Emma back will be the moment I will get rid of her. She will not risk remaining by my side for too long. Killing Emma..." Regina managed to say. "Would make her be a target as soon as she gave the order, so instead of taking her away from me in that way, she did the second best thing and gave her a forgetting potion."

"That way she gives you hope of getting me back." Emma said angrily while grabbing Regina's hand and kissing it softly. "What a manipulative bitch."

"Indeed. So our plan should focus on taking advantage of my mother's attention on the Dark Kingdom. This is where Emma and Charming come into play."

"My father and I will start our journey back towards the White Kingdom. No one can know that the Huntsman failed since it could be possible that Cora still retains spies. We will use her own plan against her and covertly enter the White Kingdom. Once we are there I can use my magic to lower the gates and get rid of the guards."

"As soon as we are inside our main objective is to capture Queen Snow." Anthony took the lead. "The Elite Army will be close to the Queen since we suspect Cora of either joining the fight or running so she can hide and plan a new course of action."

"And we are also sure that before our attack she will not leave Snow's side until she is sure Prince Killian's army is on their way." Dorian added.

"Which happens after Emma's wedding ceremony." Regina angrily said.

"You know there will be no ceremony because it is a tradition of the White Kingdom to hold it at night. This means the guards will be distracted, giving you enough time to enter the kingdom through the location I tell you later." Emma explained to her lover.

"Which also means that there is no chance for Cora to talk to Regina." Abigail added and it made them feel a little more calm. "Because obviously her goal is to get close to you." Abigail tried to summarize everything. "The question that we need to ask ourselves next is why."

Emma stood up and started pacing around the room, trying to get her ideas together. "We know that Cora wants to get close to Regina. We know that she is using the battle of the White and Dark Kingdom as a distraction. We know she allied herself with the Dark One. She convinced him to make the forgetting potion and then tricked Snow into freeing him. So, what are we missing?"

"The Dark One, no matter his situation, always makes a deal." Charming said and the whole room quietly stared at him. "Every time you required something of him it always came with a price. At first it seemed as a thing that held no value yet the reality was that he always had a reason for making a deal. It was always for his own benefit and personal gain."

"He made a deal with Cora because the two of them want the same thing!" Emma stopped moving around the room and smiled at her father in encouragement. "The two of them want to leave this realm."

"That is right." Regina complimented her fiancé. "My mother knows that the rebellion will win and that as soon as Emma is by my side I will try to destroy her if I even agree to taking her back, which I will not do." she promised the council. "The Dark One, meanwhile, is still unable to cast the curse because he does not love anyone in this realm and you need the heart of the thing you love most."

"Cora wants to cast the Dark Curse." Red whispered, realizing what Regina was trying to say. "And I know that Snow put Manohara in charge of keeping the Dark Curse safe, which means that Cora has complete access to it."

"The only thing she would need to do is remain in the castle until the army of Prince Killian arrives. Since everyone will be distracted with the wedding preparations no one will notice her gone until it's too late." Frederick added.

"But she can't." Emma argued while looking at Regina. "She has no heart so she can't love you. And since she can't love she can't use your heart for the curse."

"Love is a very complex and yet open emotion." Granny spoke for the first time and everyone looked at her. "The love you may feel is not the same love I feel. What is love to you may not be the same to me. To Cora, a woman that always cared about herself and her own power, there was one person that she considered would be her success, her opportunity to change the poor life she had as a Miller's daughter. She failed to become a Queen when she married Prince Henry and had to live in a small village in the outskirts of town. She was sick of that life and she made sure that her descendent, her future, became better than her." she then looked at Regina and smiled sadly at her. "Although what she did to you was terrible, and in no way should be defined as love, to Cora that is love. In her own way she wanted you to be better and get better things than what she got in life. For a woman that has no heart that could be the only unselfish thing she did, wanting another person to succeed."

"But she did it because she wanted power. By Regina getting power she would get it as well!" Emma angrily said while holding her fiancé's hand.

"I know." Granny calmly said. "Your love Emma is unconditional. For you to feel love is to put the people you care about above yourself. For Cora, she believes that by making her daughter have everything she did not, even if that was not what Regina herself wanted, is to feel love."

"So in her own twisted and crazy way Cora loves Regina." Emma said, grabbing Regina's hand tighter. "Which means she can actually cast the curse." she whimpered the last part.

"Just because she can that does not mean we will let her." Regina said, trying to calm the blonde who stood up and moved around the room.

"That's it, I'm not leaving your side. Forget the plan, we will wait for her to find out that the potion failed and we'll meet them in the battlefield." Emma said.

"No we will not." the brunette angrily said. "We need to put our peoples' needs before our own, and the plan that we agreed on, tricking and infiltrating the White Kingdom means less casualties for our side."

"But I will not be here to protect you!" _protect you and my son,_ Emma silently added the last part.

"Emma, we will protect Regina with our lives." Red went to touch her goddaughter who flinched at the gesture. "She will be inside the castle, protected by the Dark Forest and Elite Guard. They did it for many years before she met you."

"I promise you, your Highness, that we will give our lives to keep our Queen safe." Anthony vowed while kneeling, Dorian and Evelyne following as well.

"Emma..." Regina approached the blonde and held her close, not caring about the council seeing this vulnerable side of hers. "Remember what you promised your father? What you promised me when you became my Champion? You, we, have a responsibility to fulfill. I love you, and it makes my heart flutter with happiness to see that I am your number one priority."

"Just answer me this Regina. If the situation were backwards, wouldn't you do the same? Wouldn't you beg me to let you stay with me to keep me safe?" Emma attempted one more time.

"Of course I would." Regina smiled warmly. "But since we are both stubborn you would tell me what I am now telling you."

Emma chuckled at this because she knew it was true. She then turned away from Regina and looked at every person in the room. She had to make them understand.

"I am leaving this kingdom in order to fulfill my duty as Knight and Princess. Although my body and mind will be elsewhere, my heart remains here with Regina. I know you all care and want to keep her safe, and I thank you all for your vows and promises. But I beg of you, do not let me feel the sorrow of losing my other half. Do not let me hear from afar that my love has perished, or has fallen captured. I understand what I'm asking of each one of you, to put her before yourselves. But just as I'm asking you to do this, remember that me leaving, and her staying despite the threat of losing her life, is us putting you all first as well. I will do my best, fight my hardest, to bring you back your happy endings. Please, help me by keeping mine safe until my return." Emma finished and saw the way every person in the room was looking at her.

She could feel Regina's love, warmth, devotion and adoration flooding through her body. She could feel their magic binding and joining each other. She could hear the thought promises and love dedications Regina was sending her way. She could feel Regina's fear of losing what she now had, could feel the soft trembling of her hands and faster breaths she had started to take when Granny spoke. She could feel the shameful love Regina still felt for her mother, the disgust she felt at herself for even being capable of caring about a person who had hurt her so much. She could feel the pride Regina felt of her council, of her army and of her Champion. She could feel Regina's empathy at imagining that what her father was now experiencing was something she would pretend to feel. She was feeling Regina's desire to just be free, to just leave with Emma and live life the way they wanted to. She could feel Regina inside of her, in her very soul. And, after looking up and finding deep, beautiful brown eyes staring back, she knew the older witch was in a similar situation.

Regina could feel all the emotions Emma was feeling while pouring her heart out. It was the first time she saw Emma lower her walls in front of others and show herself weak and vulnerable. It made her feel more love for her fiancé, her fierce and brave Champion that was now promising to give her life for her people. She understood the sense of duty Emma had, she even shared it because although she wanted to live a simple life, she understood she was needed here. Looking around, she could see the way Emma had captured the attention of the council, how everyone was grasping and absorbing every word. How her knights were bowing down in respect, how Red and Granny were looking at her with pride and respect. How her own father was looking at her as if he was seeing her for the first time as a knight and princess and not just a girl. She decided right there that she would open her heart and soul as well, she would give her council hope for a better future. She would show them with the help of Emma that one could be vulnerable and strong at the same time. She was going to show them that this time she was going to make sure they all got their happy endings back. And she knew just how to do this. Standing up, Regina walked towards Emma, and without touching her, she kneeled down in front of her knight, bowing her head in submission.

The whole room was speechless at this action, to see Queen Regina kneel in front of another person, to put herself in such a vulnerable position in front of all, was to show that she was not invincible. They could see Emma's shocked face at this gesture, clearly just as surprised as they were at their Queen's actions. And still, it made sense that the one person that could bring the Queen to her knees, willingly, was her Truest Love.

"I, Queen Regina of the Dark Kingdom, promise to serve you, Princess Emma White, in valour and faith. I promise to protect the weak and defenseless. I promise to live by honour and for the glory of our kingdom. I promise to respect you and cherish you, Emma. I promise to be the best person I can be, to always try to make you happy and to give you the love you deserve. I promise to give my life for you, my happiness and sorrows as well as my fears and doubts. There is not, and there will never be anyone else for me. You are it, and although you are leaving my side today because it is your duty as my Champion, I want to give you a promise of my love. A token of my love for you and hope that I will see you again." Regina smiled while using her magic to conjure a white ring from her jewelry box. "My father gave me this ring when I was a child. He told me that it had been in his family since he could remember and that it showed the valor and pride of his kingdom. He told me that he wanted me to give it to the person that managed to do what he could not, which was to keep me safe." she looked down in quick embarrassment but again focused on Emma. "And I found you. I quickly realized that you had managed to capture my heart the day you almost killed me with your horse, which ironically was the first day we met. Love has not been a good friend of mine. In fact, it has burned and hurt me in the past. The people I love have always either hurt me or failed to keep me safe. But you, my sweet Emma, are the opposite. Your strength gives me strength and your love fills my own heart with joy. The first thing I think about when I wake up is you and you are the last thought that crosses my mind when I go to sleep. I know it has not been very long, but I guess that is what happens when you meet your Truest Love. A life without you is now unimaginable for me, and as such, would you do me the honor of being my wife, of being Queen of the Dark Kingdom and of staying in my life until the end of our days?" Regina looked up at Emma and with a deep breath whispered the last part of her impromptu speech. "Will you marry me?"

The whole room stayed in complete silence as they saw their Queen pour her heart out. Red was smiling, never having imagined that she would see something like this happen. She could hear the low bawling that came from Granny and it took everything she had to not turn around and mock the old woman. Abigail was silently smiling, honestly happy at seeing her friend able of feeling love again, of having another opportunity at finding her happy ending. It made her, just as Regina had intended with this proposal, hope and believe that things would be alright. If Charming still had any doubts about the love Regina felt for her daughter then they were eliminated after this gesture of trust, vulnerability and love. Here was the woman that had refused many years ago to forgive her wife, bowing in front of her daughter with a ring on her hand asking her to let the past be the past and create a new and better future. Their union would be the end of the fight between the White and Dark Kingdom, becoming one just like it was before Snow became Queen. What was happening in front of him made him believe that there was still hope for her wife, that just as Regina did, she would also be capable of finding her way back.

Emma had been quietly hearing everything that came out of Regina's mouth. Although Regina had already proposed yesterday night, to do it in front of the people she cared about, to put herself in such a vulnerable position was a testament of the love she felt for the blonde. Wanting to prevent Regina from hurting her knees, she used her arms to pull her up. Smiling warmly at the woman that had again captured her heart and soul, she nodded while giving her hand so Regina would place the ring.

"Yes." Emma said loudly. "I will marry you, Queen Regina." she vowed and kissed her Queen deeply, loving and longingly.

The room erupted in screams of joy and happiness. The knights of the Elite Army immediately bowed down in front of Emma, which earned them a surprised look from the blonde woman.

"We pledge ourselves to you, Queen Emma of the Dark Kingdom. We give you our swords to protect you, our hearts for you to keep and our allegiance for you to maintain. As long as we live we will fight for and with you, and were we to fall in battle, we will do so proudly." they all said at the same time and Emma smiled warmly at the gesture.

"You may rise." Emma quickly took on her role as Queen and made her knights rise. "I accept your allegiance, but if you fall in battle let me assure that I'll be fighting, and were it the case, falling alongside you." she took her sword out and pointed it towards the sky. "For I am as much a Knight as a Queen. I pledged my service and loyalty to my Queen and this vow does not end until death." she put her sword away.

"Long live Queen Regina!" the council screamed. "Long live Queen Emma!"

Yesterday it had been about Emma Swan and Regina Mills joining their lives, of them wanting their free selves to be one. Today it was about Princess Emma White and Queen Regina to make that same vow. A vow that gave them, and their kingdoms, hope that there would be a place to call home when everything was over.

( _End of Flashback)_

It had made Anthony feel pride when Queen Emma reminded everyone of her vows and promised to keep them. It showed the devotion and love she felt for his Queen and how willing she was to die for her. He had been with Queen Regina since she became queen after King Leopold's death. It wasn't a secret that the man was abusive towards the young Queen, in fact, all the people that worked at the castle were aware of the bruises and illnesses that befell the woman. It had made him feel disgusted when he was promoted by King Leopold to General, but it wouldn't be looked good if he rejected the promotion. He accepted it and took advantage of his new position of power by taking care of the young queen during moments of hardship. He took charge of changing the servitude in charge of her, basically getting rid of the servants that were faithful to Leopold and replacing them with ones that supported the Queen. By doing this, when Queen Regina took the Kingdom she had the support of the army and of the castle, which allowed her to retain control of the Dark Kingdom after she threw Snow White out. It turns out that Queen Regina had been aware of his moves, of how he had quietly build her an army loyal to her and not the late King. This loyalty towards her earned him the position of Captain, one that he happily accepted and since then he had promised to take care of the young woman that had been abused and neglected by many. To see her now so happy, so loved and cared for made him smile in relief and content. Nevertheless, he understood that they were now in danger and that they would surely have to fight against two very powerful magical beings.

Making his way through the castle, he quickly walked towards the throne room and immediately opened the door. Inside he saw his queen, quietly staring through the window, tears falling silently. He felt sorry for her, and although it was not true that Queen Emma was leaving her, the pain of being separated was still real. He cleared his throat and looked away when Queen Regina conjured a tissue to clean her face. Bending down on one knee, he waited until he was addressed.

"Anthony, you may rise." Regina said softly while again looking out the window. "I know it is not real." she whispered. "I know Emma still loves me and yet I feel this emptiness inside of me. It is as if she took half of my soul with her."

"Perhaps she did your Majesty." Anthony smiled softly. "The connection you two share is unique in this realm, more powerful than True Love itself. Who can know the limitations of your combined power?"

"I guess no one except Fate. And the Blue Fairy, although she has decided to be absent from meetings and stuff." she huffed angrily. "That fairy only brings trouble and more questions instead of actual help."

"Then perhaps the news I bring you will cheer you up." Anthony smirked and opened the doors so the knights would come inside with the body of the blacksmith. "I found Cora's mole."

"That is good news." Regina smiled proudly. "Although it would have been better to bring him alive."

"I tried but it seems that Cora did not want any loose ends. The moment he was captured she crushed his heart."

"Understandable." Regina muttered. "At least it seems that my mother got the information that we wanted her to get." she stood up from her throne and walked towards Anthony. "How about the preparations for the execution of the Huntsman?"

"Ready and waiting for your order." Anthony replied. "Not that I'm doubting your plan your Majesty, but are you sure it is a good idea to reveal that we captured him? Especially when there may still be spies from the White Kingdom?"

"My mother needs to believe that I am emotionally vulnerable. The only way for her to see this is if I open my heart to the town, kill the traitor and promise to get revenge on Snow White. Besides, just because we captured him that does not mean that he was unable to give Emma the potion. Remember that my mother does not like loose ends, she probably expected us to capture and kill his naive pawn."

"And that way you can explain to the town why Queen Emma left."

"Yes, although remember that she is still officially a princess." Regina cautioned him. "Our engagement needs to be kept a secret if we want our plan to succeed." she took her ring out of her finger and placed it in a chain that went around her neck. "Emma has a similar one."

"This will be over soon my Queen." Anthony promised her. "You will see your Queen again."

"I know." Regina smiled warmly. "If there is one thing Emma does rather well is become a nuisance. She will be back to cause havoc in your army and castle." she teased him.

"She saved my life" Anthony shrugged. "The least I can do is let her get away with some things."

"Regina, I mean Queen." Red entered the room with a card in her hand. "I apologize, I thought you were alone."

"That is ok Red." Regina smiled sadly. "Anthony, please make sure that our prisoner is ready for his execution. Now that Emma is gone we will move forward with our schedule."

Nodding in understanding, Anthony quickly left the two brunettes alone. As soon as the door closed Red ran towards Regina and gave her a long hug. Surprised but happy at the gesture, Regina allowed the werewolf to hold her tight. After a few minutes, Red finally let the witch go and smiled warmly.

"Congratulations Regina." she beamed at the older woman who looked up at her with curiosity. "Emma told me the good news. Well, I actually suspected it and then she had to confirm it." she shrugged.

"Of course, your heightened sense of smell." Regina understood.

"Yeah, we smelled it during the meeting and when Emma came to say goodbye to Granny and I she started to give us this very intricate and mysterious speech about keeping her family safe."

 _(Flashback to Earlier)_

"Red, Granny." Emma stopped the two werewolves and pulled them inside a room. "I have a favor to ask of you two."

"We know what you will ask us child." Granny huffed in mock annoyance. "To keep Regina safe and happy until you come back. Although we are not nannies we will do what you ask."

"And I appreciate it." Emma smiled warmly. "But it's not just that. You know that you two are like the mothers I never had. You two took care of me and loved me through the good and bad times. I'm so grateful and thankful for your existence and I know you will always have my back. Because of this confidence and trust I have in you two I will trust you with a secret. Promise me you will keep it."

"We promise." Red immediately said and Granny nodded in agreement. "But does it have to do with the fact that Regina is pregnant?"

"Wait?! How do you know?!" Emma asked looking around for hidden people.

"We can smell it." Granny pointed her nose. "Werewolf senses."

"Guess it makes sense." Emma shrugged. "But yes, the Blue Fairy told us yesterday night." the blonde smiled.

"Congratulations my child." Red hugged her goddaughter. "But there is something different about this child, isn't it? Something magical."

"He grows faster than a normal child. Although he was just conceived 3 days ago Regina is already almost 2 months pregnant."

"That's incredible. And she's not showing."

"Well, now she is so she is choosing to wear less tight dresses. She is very stressed and worried about keeping up with the baby's growth development. Not only that, but she will be unable to use her magic until he is born."

"And that's why you want us to stay close to her." Granny now understood what had Emma so worried yesterday night."

"Yes." the blonde woman exhaled. "Regina will never do anything to harm our child even if it means losing her life in the process. I love her for that but I don't want her to choose between our child and herself. Having a werewolf by her side for protection would keep me calm and focused on the mission." she begged the last part.

"Of course we will keep her safe Emma. Even if you were not going to the White Kingdom to give us back our land we would have still helped. We love you too much."

"And I love you two."

 _(End of Flashback)_

"You've made her really happy these past weeks." Red told Regina while smiling warmly. "Before she was a lost girl trying to find her way in a place where she never felt wanted. Her mother ignored her, her father was too afraid to stand up for her and the people were afraid of getting too close because she was too independent."

Regina chuckled softly. "Trust me, she is the one that saved me."

"I'm very aware of the changes you have made, your Majesty." Red teased her. "Which also made my promise to keep you safe much easier to make. I'm starting to trust you, and perhaps it is because you gained my goddaughter's love or because I was there when you tried to kill Snow 18 years ago, but I believe you are capable of being a good Queen. I want to make that happen. Besides, you're carrying my grandchild inside of you." Red's smile disappeared. "And no matter how I say it that will always sound creepy."

"Perhaps you could call him by his name." Regina smiled warmly at the werewolf. "It was the last thing I talked about with Emma."

"You mean that moment after the meeting when the two of you disappeared." Red teased her. "Because everyone saw it."

 _(Flashback to earlier)_

"Regina..." Emma said while hugging the older woman as tightly as possible. "I don't think I'll be able to do this."

"You must." Regina hugged the blonde back. "The plan will work. I know it."

"I know it too." Emma smiled sadly at her. "I just can't leave you two here. All my life I have been searching for a family who loved me. I know I had dad, Red and Granny but it's not the same. I mean, I didn't even know that I was looking for one until Blue told us that you were expecting." she started rambling. "And now that I know I don't want to miss a single day of it. I mean it has been four days and you are already 2 months old. By the time you reach the White Kingdom it will be obvious you're pregnant."

"I understand your fear Emma. I am also terrified of our enemies finding out that there is an official heir to the White and Dark Kingdom. That is why our plan is focused on you opening the gates for us, so there are not too many casualties and the fight can lead to us capturing your mother and mine."

"Regina, I promise I will try to capture them, but if they force my hand and there is the possibility of you or our baby being in danger I will not hesitate to kill them." Emma pointed out while making Regina look at her. "You and..." the blonde stopped to think for a while.

Regina chuckled softly. "Perhaps we should give our baby boy a name before you leave?"

"I leave soon! How can we decide such an important thing in a matter of minutes!"

"If you think about it, our whole relationship has been a quick affair."

"The wonders of Truest Love." Emma said sarcastically and Regina laughed.

"I just want you to be able to decide with me what his name will be. I am not sure how fast this pregnancy will develop, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that we are together the moment he is born. But at the same time I believe we should be prepared for anything to happen."

"I cannot argue that." the blonde replied while sitting down in a chair and kissing Regina's stomach. "Tell me little guy, what should your name be?" she joked and then softly put her ear on top of the witch's stomach.

"What is our baby telling you darling?" Regina mocked her fiancé.

"Henry." Emma looked up at Regina and saw her surprised look. "His name should be Henry Daniel."

"Are you sure?" the older woman asked with tears in her eyes. "We do not have to put those names for him, there are many others I like."

"Yes, but these ones mean the most to you. Daniel was your first love, and for a while he kept you away from the burdens your mother inflicted on you and for that I'm thankful. And your father, well, if it wasn't for his sacrifice then the two of us would have never met. That's why I think we should name our son Henry Daniel."

"Henry Daniel." Regina whispered in complete awe and happiness. "Do you like it?" she asked out-loud while caressing her stomach.

"I like it." Emma answered and stood up so she could kiss her fiancé.

"I love you, Emma Swan." Regina whispered after the two separated.

"And I love you, Regina Mills." the younger woman smiled while again looking for the witch's mouth.

The two women's kisses quickly started to escalate in length and roughness, both desperate to feel the other close. Emma's hand immediately went to touch Regina's stomach, and after holding her steady, she moved them lower. Regina hummed at the sensation of her fiancé's hands in her buttocks, and although none had planned to be together before Emma left, the only thing Regina wanted was for the blonde to make love to her. Tumbling and throwing things at the floor, the two women blindly made their way backwards until they reached the bed. Nevertheless, before Emma was able to carefully lower Regina they heard the voice of Charming coming through the door.

Hastily standing up, Regina cleaned the smudged lipstick from Emma's face before kissing her one last time.

"I think the whole point of cleaning my face is so that I don't have more lipstick?"

"I am aware." Regina accepted the teasing. "I just could not resist myself."

"Emma." Charming entered the room and immediately looked down in embarrassment. "I'm sorry but we have to leave now if we want to make it to the first town before nightfall."

"But..." she looked at Regina and felt tears falling from her eyes.

"Go." Regina encouraged the blonde. "Henry and I will see you soon." she almost choked the last part.

"I love you both so much."

"And we love you too. Now go defend your Queen and Kingdom, my valiant Champion." Regina said in her Queen Regina tone.

"For you, My Queen, anything." Emma kneeled and was getting ready to leave before Regina stopped her.

"Wait." she told the two blondes while using her magic to conjure a sword. "I got this for you." she gave it to Emma who smiled at the gesture.

"Thank you." she said while pecking her fiancé's lips. "Nothing wrong with having another sword."

"This is not just any sword. I enchanted it so it can deflect magic attacks as well." Regina promised the blonde who smiled brightly at the gesture.

"Ok, now that is amazing."

"Only the best for my Champion." Regina teased her lover and with that said pushed her forward. "Now go get your Kingdom back."

 _(End of Flashback)_

"You certainly know your way to your woman's heart." Red teased her again and Regina blushed.

"I also certainly know that you did not just come here to gossip about Emma and I." she reminded the brunette.

"Sadly I didn't." she gave the letter to Regina and waited until she opened it. "That is a letter of the magical beings community. They agree with your decision to kill the Huntsman and they are willing to let Granny and I return to the community."

"I believe congratulations are in order then?"

"They are saddened because of the Huntsman's betrayal. He was liked and respected." Red explained. "Besides, just because they allowed us to return that doesn't mean that they trust us, especially me."

"Why especially you?"

"Because Snow was my best friend. They just assumed Granny came with me because she is like my mother."

"Just as I tell Emma, Snow's mistakes are not your fault. You did what you had to do in order to survive."

"I was a coward. I could have done what Blue did and fight. Instead I allowed my former best friend to hinder our powers and keep us as servants."

"Believe me when I tell you that if the Blue Fairy led the failed rebellion then it was a conceived strategy done by fate. Remember, Snow was a favorite of hers."

"You don't trust her."

"I trust Emma and if she says that the Blue Fairy will help in keeping our child safe then I will believe that as well." Regina confessed. "But we both know that fairies are very selective of who and when to help."

"I can't argue that." Red agreed. "But I guess it doesn't matter because Granny will take the position as representative of the magical beings. She is the smartest one. Besides, since she is old they believe she has more wisdom than I do."

"I do not believe antagonizing your grandmother is a good thing to do." Regina chuckled.

"As long as she doesn't find out." Red whispered and Regina laughed again.

"Your Majesty." the two brunettes stopped laughing when they heard Dorian enter the room. "I apologize for the interruption but Anthony sent me to tell you that the prisoner is ready for his execution."

"Thank you Dorian." the brunette replied and watched his knight leave.

"Are you ready for this?" Red asked the brunette who took one last look at her engagement ring before changing her clothes to their Evil Queen times.

"I am a Queen and a Queen is always ready." Regina said confidently while opening the door of her room and making her way towards the front of the castle.


	21. Operation Snow Heart Part 2

**Author's note:** New chapter people! I think this story has only 1, 2 more chapters top before it's over. The final battle is coming up and I hope you are all excited about it! Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated. No beta so all mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

 **PS:** _Italics_ are used as inner thoughts.

* * *

 **Somewhere near the White Kingdom**

"Come on Emma." Charming said while getting on his horse to move forward. "We are almost there."

"I know." she huffed. "Why do you think I'm being reluctant at hurrying up."

"I thought the faster we got there the better it would be for Regina and you."

"Yes and no." Emma answered while jumping on top of Bug. "Because of our connection, sometimes Regina and I can share our thoughts and feelings." she smiled softly. "I know that the moment we get inside the White Kingdom I will have to close that connection."

"Close the connection?"

"Yeah, beings with magical properties can sense that my subconscious is shared with another magical being. Like a magical bond."

"And since Cora is there she would be able to sense Regina's magic inside of you."

"Exactly. The moment she finds that out she will know that the forgetting potion failed and that I'm still in love with Regina. We didn't think about this until our first night away from each other."

 _(Flashback to 5 Days Earlier)_

"I'm tired." Emma complained to herself while feeding Bug. "I miss Regina, I miss my son." she whispered softly.

 _"And we miss you too."_ Emma heard Regina's soft voice and immediately turned around.

"Regina?!" she asked while taking her sword out and moving around camp. "Regina?!" she repeated and lowered her weapon when nothing moved around her. "And now I'm going crazy." she chuckled. "Damn it Regina you have truly made me become completely dependent on you."

 _"The feeling is mutual."_ Regina's voice muttered and again Emma stood up.

"This must be a trick, some sort of black magic. Or perhaps the forest is trying to get me astray from my way to the White Kingdom."

 _"Do not be silly dear. You are not imagining this but at the same time I am not in the forest. We can now hear each other's thoughts."_

"What?" Emma thought to herself while sitting again near the fire. "Is this because of our Truest Love?"

 _"I suspect so."_ Regina murmured. _"It seems that we have just discovered another property of our magical bond."_

"What do you mean by another property?"

 _"Well, beforehand we were capable of feeling each other's emotions dear. We can also share our magic between one another and we can also share memories quite easily. It appears that consciously communicating thoughts between us is the next step."_

"Makes sense." Emma said while looking at the dark night. "I felt your anger and sadness earlier." she commented. "Wanna tell me about that?"

 _"I did what had to be done."_ Regina said sadly. _"The Huntsman betrayed us and he had to pay for that crime. It was not a pleasant thing to see."_ the brunette continued. _"The people were angry at him and wanted to see him suffer. And as monarchs we sometimes have to give to our people what they want."_

"The people wanted to see him pay because he hurt you Regina. That is their way of showing you that they support you." she explained to her fiancé. "I could see it on my way out, how sad they were at the prospect of you being heartbroken."

 _"And I am grateful for that."_ the brunette explained. _"But now that we have this way of communicating we should take advantage of it. Our plan seems to be working perfectly because the moment you two left we caught a spy of my mother's."_

"Did you get a chance to interrogate him?"

 _"Unfortunately not. My mother made sure she killed him before we could ask him any questions. But he did see you leave with your father, so we can assume that she sent an envoy to accompany you on your way back."_

"She did." Emma agreed. "We met with them a few hours ago and we have set camp with them. Don't worry." Emma immediately appeased her. "I'm with my father completely separated from them. We do not trust them."

 _"Be cautious darling. Remember that the White Knights are not exactly role models or concerned at all about the safety of their kingdom. Besides, if these ones were picked by my mother then you have to be even more cautious."_

"We are being careful. That beautiful sword you gave me is sitting right next to me."

Regina chuckled. _"You should be sleeping darling. In a few days you will have to face my mother and you need to have all your emotions and feelings under control."_

"I understand." Emma repeated. "I have to be basically emotionless if I want to show Cora and Snow that I forgot about you."

" _Not only that dear, but you have to suppress your magic as well. Because you discovered your magic with me, the moment you drank the forgetting potion the memories of you performing magic should have disappeared."_

"So theoretically I have no magic." Emma grumbled.

 _"Yes."_ Regina also huffed in annoyance. " _And if I remember correctly, when the Dark One taught me about forgetting potions he said that when you make a person forget that they were in love the person became a shadow of who they were. This means that you have to be the complete opposite of your previous self: cold, calculating, mean, revengeful, conning, etc."_

"So basically I have to be a complete bitch." Emma interrupted Regina.

Regina laughed softly. _"Yes. You will have to be like all the rest of royals darling, and as much as it pains me to imagine, cordial to your mother and Prince Killian. Remember, Snow will know for what to look for because long ago she also drank a forgetting potion."_

"So many things to look out for." Emma huffed. "I know it's annoying but it also has to work. We have planned this well and there is no way our mothers will know we are aware of their plans." Emma promised Regina when she felt her trepidation.

 _"The person I am most worried about is Cora_." Regina confessed. " _Your mother is just a pawn that is conveniently being helped by mother because of the White kingdom's army. But Cora has the support of the Dark One, and the Dark Curse is inside that castle under her protection._ " she reminded the blonde. " _The moment she realizes something is wrong she will get the curse and disappear so she can regroup."_

"Then I guess that means we cannot make a mistake." Emma simply replied. "The moment we get the Dark Curse from the castle it will be the moment we will be at peace. Once we take that away from your mother then there is nothing she can do against our combined magic. Remember, we fought against her and we won."

 _"I know_." Regina agreed. " _But I got taught to think that anything can go wrong and to plan ahead to prevent it."_

"I can sense your enthusiasm." Emma smiled warmly. "Want to tell me what you have planned?"

" _Instead of you going alone to look for the Dark Curse I was planning on sending Red with you. Surprisingly, the magical beings chose Granny to be their leader and not your godmother as I suspected. I imagine our mothers will think the same thing and hence will not expect her to be in the castle. Since you have worked on your transportation spell you could go get Red and then the two of you can reenter the castle. By that time when you two make it back in your mother should be meeting with Cora and Prince Killian. You have to go back to that meeting and stay there while Red looks for the Dark Curse. After we sound the horns and cause the necessary distraction you will leave the room and meet with Red. If by that time she has not been able to get the Curse then you will think of me and I will go find you."_

"But what about your mother's protection spells? I mean, didn't she say that she had the Curse guarded and safe?"

 _"Indeed, but when you meet with Red she will have in her possession potions that can counteract my mother's spells. Remember we know all the spells she has absorbed and hence which ones she can use."_ Regina explained.

"You have thought about everything." Emma smiled warmly.

 _"The only thing I am able to do is just think about our plan."_ Regina confessed. _"I am terrified of failing the kingdom. I am terrified of failing you Emma."_

"We are a team." the blonde reminded her. "So everything we do, every win and loss we obtain is a joined effort. Let me be your Champion and battle for you. I'm definitely not weak and I sure am determined to win so we can get our happy ending."

 _"I know."_ the brunette said softly _. "And I do trust you."_

"I love you Regina." Emma reminded the witch. "So much."

" _And I love you too."_ Regina said firmly. _"With all of my heart."_

 _(End of Flashback)_

"So that's why you were adamant in having one of us always up and patrolling." Charming finally understood her daughter's behavior.

"We cannot trust Snow and we definitely cannot trust Cora." she argued.

"I know." Charming said dejectedly.

"I haven't forgotten my promise." she reminded him. "I will try to save Snow as long as it doesn't risk the safety of my child or Regina's." she whispered the last part.

"That's all I can ask of you." he looked at Emma who was deep in concentration. "Is something wrong?"

"Regina is anxious." she commented. "She is dreading the moment we lose our connection."

"Because she won't know what you are thinking."

"Yes, but during the last couple of days she has been trying to control her emotions around me. I think she's trying to get me used to not hearing her voice or feel her feelings inside of me."

"Perhaps." Charming said not convinced at all. "But if you're telling me this then you must suspect something else is going on."

"I can't stop myself from thinking that it has something to do with Henry." she whispered, for the first time admitting her insecurities and fears. "He's a special kid that, according to what Blue told us before I left."

"He has to be." Charming smiled. "He is the product of Truest Love and two powerful magical beings. The balance between the light and the dark, uniter of kingdoms and families." he continued saying.

"You're right." Emma exclaimed with complete awe and love. "He will do what Leopold couldn't do after marrying Regina. Which is why we must protect him and his existence. Neither Cora nor my mother can know about him."

"But you already knew all of this before we left the Dark Kingdom."

"Yes, what I'm truly worried about is that Henry's gestational period is not the one of a normal child. He grows faster and stronger by the hour, if what Blue told me before I left is still true."

"That's right, the two of you talked for a while before we left the Dark Kingdom."

 _(Flashback to 5 Days Ago)_

"Blue..." Emma said while turning around the halls in search of the fairy. "I need to talk to you before I leave." she exclaimed and immediately felt the magic of the woman close. "I can feel you now so don't even pretend that you're not here." she stated and concentrated on making the woman appear.

A white mist appeared in from of her, which gave shape to the fairy who was smiling softly at her.

"Regina has taught you well." she said softly.

"Why are you refusing to see me?" she complained while pacing around the room. "Do you understand what I'm about to do? I'm leaving Regina and my unborn child unprotected. I need some security or promise that they will be fine while I save us all from Cora and my crazy mother!" she screamed the last part.

"Relax Emma." Blue tried to appease her right away. "I can understand the fear that comes with uncertainty. Our story has certainly shifted from the path it was moving when I helped your parents catch the Evil Queen before she could sacrifice her father's heart."

"Helped them? What are you talking about?" she asked the woman.

"What I will tell you right now Emma can change the way you see things, am I am doing so in the expectation that someday you will have to act on what I am telling you right now."

"I don't understand." Emma said angrily. "For once stop talking in riddles and just be honest Blue."

"Our reality is not the only reality Emma. Different paths can lead to different outcomes and different stories. As such, there is a reality where Regina was successful in casting the Dark Curse." she said tersely, trusting Fate again to know what they were doing by revealing this to Emma. "The Dark One used Regina's pain and sorrow to cast a curse that would take him to a magicless land where he would be able to find his long-lost son. Frozen in time, we were under Regina's rule in this realm where everyone had forgotten who they were." she continued saying.

"What about my parents? What about Cora? What about me? My son?" she rambled.

"In this reality your mother was not corrupted by Cora yet she still showed the capability of becoming dark by tricking Regina into killing her own mother. Your father was similar to the David you know, a coward with fear and yet capable of overcoming his fear for his family. Henry was born and he is the son of the Evil Queen and the Savior, which is how you are called in this reality. The three of you seem to be a part of every reality thought by Fate."

"Destiny." Emma whispered in complete awe and sadness at the same time. "Are Regina and I together in this reality?"

"You were not." Blue smiled sadly. "Yet the two of you always sacrificed your own happiness and life for the other." the fairy smirked. "Almost as if your hearts and magic recognized your bond and was waiting for the right moment to place you two together."

"Then why are we here now? I mean, are these other realities coexisting with the one we are now?" Emma asked completely confused.

"Yes and no." Blue explained. "In each reality there is the possibility of people either being good or evil. Some people tend to choose similar paths in different realities because of their souls' essence. Our souls' essence is our traits and personality that does not change no matter the reality. For example, your mother has always and will always be capable of being a good loving mother or the absolute destroyer of your happiness. The events and things she goes through is what may lead her to choose one path over the other."

"So this reality is the only one where we are consciously taking different paths and making decisions?"

"Correct." Blue said proudly. "After you make a decision this reality fuses with the one that arose from you choosing a path. But the essence of all realities comes from this one we are currently at."

"But which reality is true and which one is not? I mean, who even chooses this?"

"Fate." Blue simply replied. "The union you share with Regina is so unique that no other people in the world has had it, has it or will have it until the end of time. Because of this, the two of you are considered Fate's time-scale."

"Time-scale?" the blonde asked even more confused than before.

"The original reality that Fate wanted you to have was one where Regina and you obtain your happy ending. Some realities do not have you two sharing truest love, which was something that Fate found primordial you two have in order to face the Dark One or any other enemy that wanted to abuse of their power to mess with destiny."

"So in these other realities it is possible that Regina and I are happy without the other as our truest love?"

"Yes." Blue replied honestly. "But there is no bigger happiness than finding your truest love. The bond and magic is so powerful that you two were capable of creating life. That kind of power is not something to take lightly."

"And that's why Fate is so invested in keeping Regina and I together?" Emma scoffed angrily.

"Yes and no again. The interest Fate has in your family is rooted in the power you all have and the complexities of your souls, that is indeed true. But at the same time Fate needs you three because you balance the time-space of all realities. Each one of you has a role to play, even your unborn child."

"We all know that Henry will be powerful." Emma whispered, scared for her child.

"He is the most powerful one of all. He even made this reality possible." Blue smiled warmly.

"How is that even possible? I thought you said only choices could change a reality."

"And Henry mad a choice in another reality that send us all back to the original reality, this reality. He sacrificed himself so that Regina and you could have the opportunity at living your truest and happiest reality."

Emma started crying because of the love her child was showing the two of them. The bravery and selfishness he must have in order to give his own life for them. What about Regina and her, what were they doing?

"If there is one thing I know is that Regina and I, no matter what reality, would have never allowed him to make such a sacrifice."

"And you are correct. Regina was dying and you had no magic to save her. Henry was the only one capable of making things right and he did so by resetting all realities into this one."

Emma turned around to face away from the fairy that was confusing her even more with all the things she had just said. Everything she had just heard just made her feel more thankful for having Regina and Henry with her. Yet she experienced the sadness and helplessness of knowing that her mother was capable of loving her and that somewhere she was being the mother she had always wanted to have.

"Why are you telling me all of this now? And why only me and not Regina?" she whispered. "I will not keep this from her, I can't do that."

"And no one is asking you to." Blue replied. "In all honesty dear Emma, I am just doing what Fate told me to do. Fate told me to trust them and to tell you all of this."

"There is something else, isn't it?" Emma asked suspiciously. "And it has to do with Regina and Henry or you wouldn't have told me all of this now."

"Regina and you will have to make a decision. I don't know when or what decision. But when making this decision Fate told me to ask you to remember this conversation we just had. To remind Regina of this and give her the hope she will need." Blue smiled sadly at Emma and disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke.

"Wait, Blue!" Emma screamed while again using her magic to call for Blue. Nevertheless, this time there was no answer and she knew that she had to go soon if she wanted to reach the White Castle in time. "We will talk about this when I come back." she vowed and left the room.

 _(End of Flashback)_

"Our magic has made Henry a powerful baby." she said tersely. "One that will play a huge part in our lives that may come sooner than expected." she whispered but her father still caught it.

"What are you talking about Emma?"

"Henry is going to be born in 3 months." she confessed to her father. "And once that happens then everyone will know about him and his powers."

"That's not everything Blue told you, is it?" he asked his daughter because despite everything he knew her and he was able to tell that something was bothering her deeply.

"There may be a time where Regina and I will have to make a decision that will affect us all, one that is not related to this war with Snow and Cora." she whispered while looking around.

Charming looked at her with surprise. "But I thought we were only in danger of Snow and Cora. That once we united the both kingdoms then we would have peace."

"That's what I thought too." Emma said dejectedly. "Now let's tell these men to set up camp here. We are near the walls of the White Castle, which makes this location a good one for Regina to land with our army."

* * *

 **At the Dark Kingdom**

Regina was quickly passing around the throne room. Her scouts had not made it back from their usual route and she was concerned about their safety. They were a rouse because Emma and her were capable of mentally communicating with each other, often sharing their location and thoughts. Nevertheless, she had to pretend she was actively seeking out Emma, make her sorrow and desperation believable enough for her kingdom and her mother. Red had questioned her decision to have scouts follow Emma and Charming because she had allowed Emma to willingly leave. Nevertheless, she had argued that her mother knew her well from her time as the Evil Queen, and that losing her True Love would revert her back to her old ways, which included finding Emma and taking her no matter what. In order to do that she needed to know where she was and hence the scouts. But now it had been one day of not hearing from them and she worried that they had just given their lives for information not needed.

"You need to relax." she heard a scolding voice and saw Red walking towards her. "You do know that what you did was the right thing, right?"

"I just feel horrible about these men losing their lives for information we did not need." she answered softly. "I know exactly where Emma is, in fact I have been speaking to her for the last 5 days." she huffed.

"Has she felt your nervousness?"

"I think she assumes it comes from me worrying about her and our plan, which is part of the truth."

"Why not tell her about this." she pointed at Regina's growing stomach. "The Blue Fairy told us that the baby's growth is faster than what she had initially suspected. Instead of you being a month, as was her initial suspicion, you are now 6 and a half months pregnant!" she exclaimed and closed her mouth. "I think some people are suspicious." she whispered.

"What do you mean?" Regina replied while placing a protective hand in her stomach. The action did not go unseen by Red.

"They are wondering where their Queen is and if she gave up in getting her True Love. You are their only hope Regina, so if they think you have given up then they will also give up."

"I know that." Regina replied tersely. "But no one can know that I am pregnant. As long as Snow, Cora and the Dark One are out there Henry's existence is in danger."

"I know that too." Red said without backing away. "But Emma must be near the border of the White Kingdom and we still have to order our troops to prepare. Regina, I know you want more time but that is something we don't have. You need to address your people and tell them to move forward. And don't try to give me an excuse that involves your mother's spies because we have eliminated them and prevented anyone else from entering the Dark Forest."

"I need Emma." Regina confessed while looking down. "I cannot do this alone."

"And you are not alone." Red smiled softly at her. "You have loyal knights and soldiers willing to die for you. And I promised Emma that I would protect you and your child for as long as I breathe. I don't plan to back-up from this promise."

Regina took a deep breath and nodded in acceptance. "No sign of Blue yet?

"No. No one has seen her since Emma left the Dark Kingdom. Should we be worried about her?"

"I do not think so." Regina replied carefully. "I may not like the fairy, but one clear thing is that she cares about Emma and her unborn child. She will not do anything that could endanger the child and by extension me and the whole rebellion."

"Then why do you know her?"

"To magically transport an army is no easy deed werewolf." Regina joked. The two brunettes had gotten closer during their time together and both liked to mess around with one another. "So the aid of all magical beings would be appreciated."

"Gotcha." Red winked at the older woman who huffed in fake annoyance. "But now that you're more calm, explain to me why you're keeping the news Blue gave you before she disappeared a secret from Emma."

"I am not keeping them a secret because I intend to tell her the moment I see her." Regina replied tersely. "But I cannot endanger Emma's safety by giving her troublesome news. What she needs right now is to keep her feelings and emotions balanced. If I were to tell her that in 5 days I have gone from being 1 month pregnant to 6.5 months pregnant then she will do her damndest to come back to us. And we both know how careless Emma can be when she desires to do things quickly."

Red nodded in agreement. What Regina was saying did make sense, especially since she knew that Emma would react just as the witch suspected and would try to either face Cora, Snow and the Dark One alone or would try to acquire the Dark Curse by herself. All of these scenarios were not good for them and would prevent them from acquiring the positions inside the White Kingdom that they needed to support the rebellion and keep it moving after capturing Snow White. Regina was a realist and she understood that there would be some people, the members of Snow's court, that would try to stop them from acquiring internal control of the White Kingdom. Because of that they decided to swiftly enter the kingdom and take these men out of their positions so there would be no objections once she declared Emma and herself Queens. If there was one thing that Regina had to thank her mother was her education and all the lessons she took about politics, war planning and strategy because they were now being used to their full extent.

"The army of Abigail and Frederick, have they arrived?" Regina asked the werewolf who was quietly contemplating things.

"Yesterday afternoon. Abigail and Frederick are waiting to meet with you so they can be briefed about our plan."

"We need to wait for Emma to send me an image of the place she chose. After that the rest can be done by the end of the day."

"Then tomorrow morning we will wait outside the White Kingdom?"

"Indeed." Regina said while standing beside a wall and taking her clothes off. "Tomorrow we will go to war with the White Kingdom and I must address my people."

"You're not using your magic, right?" Red softly reminded her.

"It is difficult to not use it because I have gotten used to it. But I know that Henry needs it more so as you can see everything I do is with my hands."

"Remember Regina, you are meant to lead us to the battle, not fight it alongside us." she told the Queen who avoided her gaze. "You promised Emma to keep Henry and yourself safe. Fighting, especially now that you are vulnerable, isn't the way to do it."

"I know!" Regina snapped. "But I am not used to other people defending me or fighting for me out of their own free will."

"Then get used to it because that's what will happen tomorrow. Besides, Blue already warned you about the possible consequences of what could occur to Henry if you use your magic.

 _(Flashback to 5 Days Ago)_

"Your Majesty." Regina heard Red say while bowing in front of her. "I found the Blue Fairy outside your door. She wants to have an audience with you."

"Send her in." Regina said sadly while sitting down on her throne. She had just seen the love of her life leave her and she was in no mood to be polite to the bug.

"Your Majesty." Blue said while approaching her. "I need to talk to you."

"I am not in the mood." the brunette replied angrily. "For any kind of speech or idea that you may have. I know it is not real but it feels real. It feels as if Emma did abandon me."

"But she has not. You have a part of her living inside of you, keeping you company and safe. You have your son." Blue smiled softly.

"I have my son." Regina remembered and caressed her stomach while looking at the fairy. "And how do you know it is a boy?"

"That is why I came to talk to you your Majesty. My earlier calculations about your delivery date were mistaken because you are right now approximately 2 months old."

"But that is impossible, I just found out yesterday that I was pregnant."

"This magic is unknown to me because Emma and you are the only case of Truest Love in existence. Because of that I cannot know what to expect from the product of your union." the fairy argued. "But I can feel it around you as I am sure you do and you can probably also notice that it is a clear mixture between Emma and your magic."

"I am aware that our child possesses magic." Regina whispered to the fairy. "I can feel his magic inside of me just as I can feel Emma's."

"Because the three of you share a bound of Truest Love. And as you must be aware, the magic of your child is powerful if it is already manifesting itself." Blue reminded her. "Which brings us back to me asking for this audience. I came to warn you about using your magic your Majesty."

"My magic will harm my child because it is Dark magic, correct?" she said sadly.

"We both know that magic is not good or bad, but yes, because you learned magic from the Dark One it is rooted in darkness. Nevertheless, although the magic may be dark that does not make you be evil. And also, your child is as much a part of Emma as a part of you, which means that he already has both, Light and Dark magic inside of him. Hence, your magic cannot hurt him your Majesty." the fairy appeased the woman who immediately relaxed after hearing this.

"Then why are you telling me to be careful with my magic."

"Your baby feeds of your magic, it is what allows his own magic to grow. Were his source of magic to end, in this case by you using your magic as well, then that could endanger his life."

Regina looked up from her belly and saw that the Blue Fairy was not lying to her. She was going to do anything she could to protect her child, even not use magic. She nodded her confirmation to the fairy who smiled in relief.

"There is another thing that I must tell you before I leave you." Blue said while approaching Regina who felt uncomfortable at the suddenness of the fairy's move. "It is primordial that you keep this child safe. He is powerful and many will want to either hurt or control him in order to move their own agendas. Do not allow this to happen and be ready to do whatever it takes to ensure his happiness." she said while smiling sadly at the Queen.

"Why do I feel that what you just advised me is a concealed warning? Do you know if my son's life is in danger? Answer me!"

"Your son's life was in danger the moment he was conceived. How long do you think it will take the Dark One, Cora or even Snow White herself to learn about his powers? We both know that power blinds people, it makes them become shadows of who they were and capable of doing unspeakable things. Your son will be seen as a pawn and not a person and you know this just as well as I do. Isn't that why you have been hiding in this room? To prevent people from seeing you are with child?"

Regina was going to use her magic to force an honest answer from the fairy but stopped herself from doing so when she remembered her promise to not hurt her child. Although there was some truth in what the Blue Fairy had just said she knew that there was something else the fairy was not telling her. And it bugged her to not know, to be left in the dark when it came to something so important as the safety of her unborn child was.

"You will get your answers soon your Majesty." Blue promised her. "Just remember what I told you and keep your child safe no matter what."

 _(End of Flashback)_

"I am aware of that." Regina replied tersely while coming out from behind the wall in a regal dress that unlike her many others did not hung too close to her body. "I am experiencing enough worry and concern without you reminding me of my fears."

"I'm sorry." Red apologized because she realized she crossed a line. "I'm just worried about you and little Henry."

"And I thank you for that." the older brunette relaxed. "But trust me to place my child's safety before my pride." Regina started to move towards the door but then stopped herself.

"Emma!" she said loudly so that Red could be aware of what she was doing. "Thank the gods you are alright."

 _"I'm sorry for not answering you earlier but we were riding towards the White Kingdom. I think I found the perfect hidden place for our army. Secluded but still close enough to the gates of the White Castle."_ she heard the blonde's voice inside her head.

"I can see what you mean." Regina said while watching what Emma was seeing. "It is indeed a good place for our army to lay low." she then turned around and gave Red a look that demanded privacy. "I have missed you." she whispered.

 _"Probably not as much as I have."_ Emma vowed. _"I wish for all of this to be over so that I can come home to you and Henry."_

"We want the same thing." Regina promised but her thoughts about Henry's growth betrayed her and she knew that Emma noticed her hesitation.

 _"I didn't ask you about this because I thought you were going to tell me the moment you were ready."_ Emma started. _"But I can feel something is troubling you each time you think of Henry. Please don't tell there is something wrong with him."_ the blonde whispered with fear.

"No Emma, nothing is wrong!" Regina promised because it was true, Henry was growing stronger with each passing day.

 _"Then why are you feeling all of these things?"_ Emma asked again. _"Please help me understand."_

"Our child is very powerful Emma." Regina started to say. "The Blue Fairy told me that he is already showing signs of magic."

 _"Blue talked to you?"_ Emma asked carefully.

"She talked to me after you left for the White Kingdom. Was she not supposed to?"

 _"Of course not."_ Emma said. _"It's just that she also talked to me the day I left for the White Kingdom. And it was about Henry as well."_

"What did she tell you?" Regina asked immediately disliking that the Blue Fairy had gone behind their backs.

 _"That Henry was going to be a powerful person and that made him be at danger from people who wanted to use his power."_

"She told me the same thing." Regina added mostly to herself. "Along with a warning."

 _"What kind of warning?"_

"She told me that as long as the Dark One, Cora and your mother are alive then Henry's live would be at stake."

 _"And she's not wrong. You have first-handedly seen the level of deceit and manipulation the Dark One, Cora and my mother are capable of going through if it makes them acquire more power in return."_

"I know." Regina agreed with her fiancé. "And I can imagine the dilemma this makes you face my dear."

 _"There is no dilemma."_ Emma exhaled sadly. _"My family will always come first, a family formed by you, Henry, Red, Granny and my dad. If their safety comes at the price of not saving my mother then that's a price I'm willing to pay."_

"Killing." Regina said firmly. "We are talking about killing our own mothers." she added desperately. "And yet I can see myself doing so if it secured your safety."

" _We both know our mothers have done us no favors."_ Emma whispered dejectedly. _"And I know I promised my father to do my best to try and save Snow from the darkness but now I believe that this path she chose is not one that comes from being influenced by Cora."_

"I do not understand." Regina said.

 _"That the darkness my mother chose was perhaps started by Cora. But everything she did afterwards she did so in order to maintain her new-found power. You see, Snow became dark because she, as every other human being in this realm, had the capability of being good or evil. And sadly she chose the wrong side."_

"So you honestly think that Snow White is not being manipulated by my mother but she is enjoying the darkness my mother helped her discover?" Regina asked.

 _"I believe your mother thinks she is manipulating Snow."_ Emma said and prevented the older brunette from asking for a clarification. " _While the reality is that the two of them are manipulating each other. Snow is getting your mother to do all her dirty work and in return your mother is going behind her back with the Dark One."_

"So they are both playing the other." Regina realized. "We could use this to our advantage." she exclaimed.

 _"Thought so too."_ Emma smiled softly. _"I think it just took me to remember that we are all capable of good or evil to realize that my mother was not under a curse or mysterious magic. And I believe my father is just hopelessly waiting for the final drop to not fall. I know he sees it too and yet he can't stop convincing himself that his wife will return to the way she was."_

"I can understand your father." Regina whispered. "But now I cannot place your or Henry's safety before my desire of having a loving mother. I cannot be that naive."

 _"We cannot be that naive."_ Emma reiterated. _"Which means that you have to stop hiding in your room and you have to go rally our troops. Remember, rally is not the same as joining them in the fight."_

"I know dear." Regina muttered. "I was just on my way to address them before you contacted me. I will admit I was hesitant about facing them because you are not here. But you are right, we need to end this now."

 _"Good."_ Emma said firmly. _"Because we will enter the White Kingdom tonight, which means that I will not be able to contact you until the attack."_

"And not even then if it is possible. Remember, you can only call for me if by the time the honk horns you still have not found the Dark Curse." Regina reminded the blonde.

 _"Understood."_ Emma reiterated.

"Emma..." Regina said before the blonde closed the connection. _"_ Do not leave me." she begged and knew Emma understood what she was asking her. _Don't die._

" _I promise you Regina, I will never leave you or Henry. In fact..."_ Emma smiled happily to herself. _"I will always find you."_


	22. Operation Snow Heart Part 3

**Author's Note:** New chapter people! We have one more chapter to go, which is why this one is really long! This takes

 **Outside the White Kingdom**

"Is everything ready for tomorrow night?" the Dark One asked Cora.

"Yes." Cora smiled. "The Princess and her father arrived yesterday night to the castle. The magic of my daughter's plaything is dormant again because of the forgetting potion so we do not have to worry about that."

"What about Regina? Is she going according to plan?"

"Just as I suspected she had some scouts follow the Princess and her father on the way to the White Castle. I may have forced her hand by getting rid of them." she smirked to the Dark One. "In two days time the both of us will have our new beginning in this new realm."

"This sounds too easy." the Dark One mused to himself. "Perhaps we are underestimating your daughter."

"My daughter is heartbroken and probably preparing herself for war after she learned that her lover will marry Prince Killian tomorrow night. I am sure she will make her way here to try to stop it. And when she does that I will offer her my help."

"Again, such a wonderful mother you are." the Dark One said sarcastically.

"Almost as wonderful as you." she replied angrily. "Do not forget that I am the only person that knows about your son Baelfire. Do not think I am naive enough to not suspect that you are taking us to the realm where he currently is."

"My motives for wanting the Curse enacted are my own." he hissed at her old lover. "Just as yours are to become what you could never be here in the Enchanted Forest: a Queen."

"Do not test me Rumplestiltskin." Cora threatened him.

"Or what?" he sing-songed. "You will go and tell Snow White or your daughter about our plan and still not get yourself involved in all the scheming and planning?" he laughed at her. "You have no power over me apart from the fact that we need your daughter's heart to enact my Curse. And we both know that you love power too much to not cast it. I am the Dark One, dearie. I have waited already 18 years for the Curse to be cast. We both know I can wait for 18 more. But can you?"

Cora angrily raised her hand and focused on her magic, but at the last second she remembered herself and stopped the spell. Although she hated to admit it she needed Rumplestiltskin just as much as he needed her. Besides, the moment she tried to attack him he could just disappear and reveal their plan to Snow White, which would then ruin her strategy to get Regina's heart.

"Oh my dear Rumple, of course there is no need to wait more. I think we both have to remember that working as a team will benefit us both in the long-run. Besides, our goals are different and once in this new realm I am sure we will not cross paths once this is over." she smiled tersely.

The Dark One smirked in return and gave her one last bow before he disappeared in his characteristic cloud of red smoke.

"The moment I can I will find a way to get rid of him once and for all." Cora mussed to herself and also disappeared from the forest. She had a wedding to prepare for.

 **At the White Kingdom**

"I asked for privacy and yet I hear someone knocking?" Emma asked angrily when she heard someone knock her door.

"It is me, your father." Charming said from behind the door where two guards were standing watch.

"And why should I make an exception for you?"

"Because I am your father." Charming replied firmly and opened the door. "You two can leave your post until I am gone." he ordered the guards who scoffed but obeyed the King.

The moment Charming closed the door Emma relaxed herself and hugged his father tightly. She was on the verge of collapse from everything she had seen and she now knew she would feel no regrets if she had to kill Cora or her mother.

"Thank the gods it is you." Emma murmured while hugging him close.

"I tried to come as fast as I could without arising suspicion." he replied softly. "Your mother has not left my side since our arrival and it scares me." he confessed. "It scares me because I know she is planning something."

"What do you mean?" Emma whispered. "The plan is for her to marry me to Prince Killian so you can get your army to fight Abigail and Frederick."

"I believe she wants to attack them now." Charming whispered to her daughter. "I have not been allowed inside the council meetings because they deemed I was too emotionally exhausted from my trip." he huffed in anger. "But I did hear some members talking with each other about the distribution of the Gold Kingdom once it was conquered."

"We need to warn Regina." Emma whispered. "The Gold Kingdom is without defenses because they are aiding us in our attack."

"I know that." Charming exclaimed. "But that is not my main concern. What worries me is that in order to go to the Gold Kingdom the army will pass through the territory we camped at yesterday afternoon."

"Which means that they will see our army." Emma now understood. "But that could also work in our favor. We could stop the army from advancing to the Gold Kingdom if they face us on the outer parts of the White Kingdom."

"And the moment that happens Snow or Cora will know about our plan." Charming replied.

"Not necessarily, and perhaps we can make it seem as if it is an attempt of Regina to try to get me back." Emma said while standing up and walking around the room in deep concentration. "I mean, if Regina really loves me, and based on her reputation as the Evil Queen, wouldn't you expect her to try to get me back?" she asked her father. "The people in the Dark Kingdom know that she has changed and she would never do that, but neither Cora nor Snow believe that she has changed. We can use that to our advantage and stop Snow's army from advancing to the Gold Kingdom."

"So we get a small part of our army to go fight and we tell the others to wait until night to infiltrate the castle?" Charming asked her daughter, getting what she was trying to do.

"Yes. That way we can still have the surprise attack at night and Cora will not suspect that there is a mole inside the castle. Well, two." she smiled at her father who nodded in confirmation. "The question now is how we tell Regina this without using my magic."

"Maybe we can send her a letter?"

"Too risky. We don't know the people here and if Cora is controlling them or not. We need something more direct. Damn it, I wish I could use my magic."

"Maybe you don't need to use it. You could use a magic object." Charming said to Emma who nodded in agreement.

"Regina used to live here." Emma told herself while walking around. "She must have had a place where she could practice her magic and hide her things from Leopold and Snow."

"Snow told me once that Regina always used to be on the west wing of the castle." Charming told her. "That she never understood why because it was the darkest and most isolated part."

"That sounds like a place where Regina would hide from the world." Emma said sadly. "We need to get to the west wing without the guards noticing."

"And after we manage to find this room we can stop this madness and help your mother." Charming said with hope. "I know there is still good in her." he promised Emma who smiled sadly at him.

"I will try my best." she whispered to him. "But first thing we need to do is get me out of here without the guards noticing."

"They will never go inside your room." he replied while quickly going outside to look. "I will go acquire some clothes from the service quarters and then wait for you out in the back." he pointed towards her window. "We both know that you're capable of climbing down from it." he winked at her and left.

"Oh father." Emma sat down and closed her eyes in sadness. "How can I tell you that there is no hope for Snow?"

 _(Flashback to Yesterday Night)_

The moment Emma saw the gates of the castle open she felt dread and fear. All of Regina's emotions and magic were gone from her and she missed the essence of the brunette tremendously. She had grown accustomed to sharing herself with Regina, in every sense of the word, and now that she was without that presence she longed for it. Closing her eyes in acceptance and determination, she scolded her features and acted as if the new developments didn't matter to her. She had a role to play and she was not going to betray Regina or the rest of people that depended on her. Next to her she could feel her father, who had remained in silence during their way inside. She knew that the man who was standing with her was not the same naive man that had left the kingdom in search of her 4 days. He was now aware of all the lies and tricks he had been under and Emma just hoped that he would do what was right and not let his feelings for Snow cloud his judgment.

Emma concentrated on the structure of the castle, of where the guards were standing and of the number of servants and people that roamed around the castle. She didn't want anyone that didn't deserve it to be hurt, and based on the sad faces she saw, most of them were not enjoying their time under Queen Snow. She could also see some sad smiles being addressed at her, and although they really tried to whisper about her quietly, she could still make out the words 'truest love' and 'forced to marry tomorrow'. Knowing that it was better for her to play her role, she ignored their remarks and walked decidedly towards the throne room. She was preparing herself for her dreaded encounter with Cora and Snow. And, based on what Regina had told her about the witch, she was going to test her in some way to confirm the potion worked.

When the doors opened Emma saw that Snow's royal council was expectantly looking at her. When she saw Manohara she did her best to not physically show her hostility and somehow pretend that she still believed he was her mother's confidant and not a treacherous witch. Ignoring all the whispers and suspicious looks, Emma walked straight towards her mother and curtsied. She looked up at her mother and saw her smiling at her in such a way that made her heart beat faster. This smile was not the one of a mother towards a child, but one of a snake that is waiting to eat its prey. Refusing to show her fear, Emma kept staring at her mother and waited until she was told to rise. She saw her father rising as well and almost gagged when Snow hugged him tightly and kissed him on the lips. She wanted to see some sign of love or care in her mother's eyes, but what she saw instead was boredom and a desire to end the hug. This woman didn't love her father and the both of them had been too naive to not see it.

"You brought her back to me." Snow said while separating from Charming.

"I promised you I would." Charming said, trying his best to not let his emotions and love for Snow stop him from protecting Emma.

"But just because she is here that does not mean that she is going to be pardoned." Snow said to Charming who was getting ready to protest. "Unless she agrees to do her duty and marry Prince Killian."

"If that is what my Queen desires." Emma said unfazed.

"Wonderful." Snow clapped her hands and looked at her husband. "Now dear, I am sure you are exhausted. We just have to ask Emma a few more things and then I will go join you in our room. You have pleased me and hence you deserve a reward." she winked at him and Emma almost gagged.

Charming looked at Emma, silently asking her what he should do. Knowing that if Charming showed himself to be against Snow's wishes then they would get suspicious. Moving her eyes towards the door, she was relieved when she saw her father understand and leave the room without starting an argument. When the door closed behind him Emma saw her mother's placating smile disappear and instead a satisfied smirk appeared on her face. She stood up and turned to address her council.

"It is for the good of our kingdom that you marry Prince Killian." Snow continued her speech and Emma almost gagged at the fake care. "Not only will this union make our kingdom become more prosperous but it will also produce an heir to continue our royal bloodline. One that started with my father's father and that will continue with your child." the Queen finished while staring at Emma expectantly.

 _There is an heir already,_ Emma said to herself. "What makes my Queen happy makes me happy." she said instead without vomiting.

"But what about the rumors we heard." one councilman stood up. "How can we believe her when people are saying that she is the Evil Queen's True Love?"

"You must be aware already that the only thing peasants do is talk and spread preposterous rumors. I escaped the castle because I was nervous about my engagement with Prince Killian." she started to say her fake story. "But as soon as I made it to the first town I regretted my decision." she looked at Manohara. "In this town a man approached me and offered me help to make it back to the White Kingdom. Nevertheless, this man was a supporter of the Evil Queen and he held me against my will. At first I did not understand why he was doing so but when the Evil Queen appeared in front of me I knew she was going to kill me." she said while dying inside at spreading so awful lies. "Nevertheless, the Evil Queen wanted to make our Queen Snow suffer, and the only way she thought she could do this was by making me, her daughter and heir, her personal slave. She wanted me to pledge allegiance towards her and I refused, which caused her anger to rise. Somehow she managed to get Red and Granny to betray us all and they were training their army." she decided to reveal this small detail to show them that she was loyal to them.

"But people said you defended her, that you loved her." Manohara mocked her.

"I did what was necessary to survive. Lying is not something new to me and I told the Evil Queen what she wanted to hear: that there was someone that could love her."

"No one could ever love that woman." Snow smirked and Emma almost attacked her.

"Is that so?" Manohara asked the princess.

"She is the Evil Queen, isn't it obvious?" Emma said nonchalantly and it seemed that the council was somewhat appeased by this and the promise that she would marry Prince Killian tomorrow.

"Of course it is." Snow clapped her hands and then told her council to leave them alone since she had waited for too long to be with her daughter.

When the doors closed Emma saw that Manohara had stayed behind and pretending to not care at all about him she turned around to face her mother.

"Is there something else you wish to ask me?" she asked bored.

"Indeed there is." Snow approached her and caressed her cheek. The gesture was supposed to be motherly but it took everything in Emma to not flinch at it. "You see, although I believe you, Manohara is still hesitant of your words."

Emma knew that this was true and that Cora's test was about to start. She refused to react negatively and instead faced the man/woman with a bored look.

"And why are we even listening to this peasant?" she asked her mother.

"I am not a mere peasant." Manohara said angrily and made a ball of magic appear in his hand.

"So you are a peasant with magic." Emma enjoyed insulting the man and knew that she could get away with it. She had to act like a royal and most of them looked down on people who worked for them. "That still does not answer my question of why we are having this conversation."

"He believes." Snow interrupted before Manohara did something to ruin their plan. "That the Evil Queen placed a spell on you and that you are still loyal to her."

"Preposterous." Emma said. "She held me against my will and forced me to do disgusting acts with her."

"What disgusting acts?" Snow asked curiously and Emma wanted to flinch at the eager tone Snow's voice had.

"Things that royals are not meant to do or even speak of." she told them firmly.

"Although that may be true." Manohara said carefully. "We still need to test your loyalty." he smiled evilly at her. "And the best way to do so is by taking your heart."

Emma panicked when she heard this. Would her magic react towards Cora? She could not let her take her heart because then she would control her and yet if she used her magic to defend herself she would blow her cover and the plan. She had no idea of what to do.

"No." Snow said firmly. "You will not take my daughter's heart. You think I do not know that the holder of a heart can command the owner to do what they wish?"

"I will return it the moment we prove she is not being manipulated."

"Just because you did your duty that does not mean that you have earned my trust back." Snow sneered at the man and Emma watched this interaction curiously. Perhaps they could use it to their advantage. "There is another way to prove Emma's loyalty." she said and then looked at her guards. "Bring her!"

When Emma looked at the door she saw the guards bringing a woman that had certainly seen better days. She has beaten up and had obviously not been fed in a while. When the guards dropped her in front of Snow she sniffed and grunted in disgust. It took all of Emma to not use her magic and looking at Manohara she saw him staring curiously at the woman as well.

"My guards found her roaming around the borders of my kingdom rallying the people to join the Evil Queen's rebellion. When she was captured she told us that she was a knight of the Evil Queen's army." she spat the title and kicked the knight in front of her. "We have interrogated her for days about the army and where they are but she does not speak."

"Of course she will not." Manohara smiled darkly. "She is a knight of the Dark Kingdom. They are trained to endure worst torture, along with the fact that her emotions are not inside of her because the Evil Queen takes the hearts of her knights." he huffed in annoyance.

Emma pretended to not react towards the news but she immediately knew that this woman was a member of the Elite Army. Opening her eyes a little in surprise she realized that this woman was Lady Tauriel, the only one that had not been present when they reached the castle. She felt sorry for the knight who had been loyal towards Regina all this time and got captured because of that.

"Tell me knight, what is your name? Manohara continued speaking.

Tauriel smiled darkly at Manohara and kept her mouth shut, obviously deciding to not say a word.

"So you will not answer us then?" Manohara looked at Emma and smiled darkly. "Just like we suspected. Now this will be interesting." he made a sword appear in front of him and gave it to Emma.

"What is the meaning of this?" she asked her mother while looking at the sword.

"This is Manohara's test." she smiled. "As royals we are meant to punish our enemies. This woman is a member of the Dark Kingdom's army and of the Evil Queen's army. Now, were you to be under her control you would be incapable of attacking her because of her blood magic."

"I do not understand."

"When the Evil Queen took the heart of her soldiers she enchanted them so they would not fight between one another. All that anger was meant to remain inside of them and explode in the face of enemies' armies." Manohara smiled. "Rather clever of her if you ask me."

"So based on this you will now kill her. If you cannot, then we will know you were lying to us." Snow pushed Emma forward. "This should not be too complicated for you, correct?"

"What this is is preposterous." Emma said in fake anger while trying to find a way out of this. "A princess doing the work of a peasant and getting her hands dirty."

"Indulge us just this time." Snow said to her daughter.

Tauriel meanwhile was watching this whole exchange with curiosity. There was something with the blonde woman that did not fit. She was trying to remain stoic and indifferent towards her suffering but she could see in her eyes the glint of concern and even recognition when they told her she was a knight of the Dark Kingdom. Even the rumors of Queen Regina made it to the dungeons and she was aware of the bond she had with Princess Emma. Now that the blonde woman was here she could see that there something else going on and that the younger woman was hesitating because she didn't know what to do. This woman in front of her was still loyal to her Queen and if she didn't kill her then this would be revealed. She couldn't allow this to happen. Hoping that the Princess would look at her, when she finally got her attention she looked at her with determination and nodded in acceptance of her fate. She promised her sword and life for the protection of her Queen and the Dark Kingdom and she was not going to break that promise today.

When Emma saw that Tauriel was giving her permission to do what was necessary she realized that the Dark Knight was aware of something else happening. She almost smiled when she saw how faithful and loyal the woman was towards her fiancé. She was not going to ruin her sacrifice by blowing her cover.

"If I must." Emma said firmly and took the sword from Manohara. "But if my dress gets dirty I expect to have three more by the morning." she said and placed herself in front of Tauriel.

Emma looked at the woman's eyes, refusing to be a coward and glance away. The woman in front of her deserved more than that and she was going to give her a honorable death. Raising her sword and placing it where her heart was supposed to be, she smiled sadly at the woman who didn't look away from the sword and Emma commended her bravery. Taking one deep breath, Emma used all of her strength to raise the heavy sword and in one move she sunk it deep inside the woman's chest. Expecting there to be blood quickly pouring out of Tauriel's chest she was surprised when the sword disappeared and a very alive Dark Knight was looking at her with shock and relief.

"I believe she passed the test." Snow smiled while clapping her hands in glee.

"Indeed." Manohara then stared at Emma. "The Evil Queen is bonded with her knights, so were the knight to die she would feel their pain. We can't let this happen or she would suspect something is wrong and be prepared for our attack." he explained to the blonde woman.

"Indeed." Snow then hugged her daughter and Emma yet again felt that this hug was similar to when a snake trapped her food. "Now that this is done take her back to the dungeons." she told the guards who nodded.

 _I will get you out of her,_ Emma promised the knight.

"And you dear." Snow focused on Emma. "You must be exhausted from your trip. Besides, you have a wedding to get ready for."

"Of course." Emma understood she was being dismissed and with one last curtsy she left the room in a hurry. It did not take her long to reach her room and cry in sadness and fear at what she had just experienced.

 _(End of Flashback)_

* * *

 **At the Dark Kingdom**

"Is everyone ready?" Regina started to ask Anthony who was confidently striding towards her.

"We are your Majesty." he said solemnly while pointing towards Dorian and Evelyne.

"The knights of the Gold Kingdom are aware of our commands and will use them for the battle. I have been talking with their commander and he is just as invested as we are in winning this war." Dorian reported to Regina.

"And I have been supervising the meetings between the magical beings of our kingdom and the ones of the Gold Kingdom." Evelyne assured Regina who nodded. "At first there was mistrust between the two sides but the common goal of eliminating Snow White is enough incentive for them to work together."

"Any news of the scouts?"

"None your Majesty." Anthony said sadly. "I'm afraid this confirms our suspicions of what could have happened to them."

"Indeed." Regina replied softly. "So we have no way of knowing what is going on near the White Kingdom until Emma makes contact with us tomorrow night."

"I'm afraid so." Anthony was not pleased with this as well but there was nothing else they could do.

Regina was going to ask him something else when she felt her own magic in the air. Surprised at this she turned around and saw one of her mirrors shining brightly, which meant that there was someone on the other side trying to communicate with her. Could it be her mother? No, her mother would approach her personally so it made more of an impact and she had no other option but to hear her. She also knew that it wasn't the Dark One because she knew that the only place where one could find her enchanted mirrors was in the White Palace. Opening her eyes in surprise and understanding, Regina immediately allowed herself and her knights to be seen and hence see the other person in return. When she saw Emma desperately looking around her heart clenched in fear. She knew that the moment Emma saw her she would notice about the faster pace of the pregnancy. Still, if Emma was contacting them under the risk of being found out then it must be important.

"Regina!" Emma exclaimed in relief and although they were not bonded Regina could hear the love and relief in her fiancé's voice. "I'm so glad you're... what happened?!" she screeched when she saw the witch's stomach.

"Your child happened, Miss Swan." Regina joked but immediately appeased her bride. "Henry is growing at a faster pace than what was initially suspected by the Blue Fairy. But do not worry, we are just fine."

Emma nodded in appeasement and understood that she would later talk to Regina about keeping this hidden from her. Nevertheless, she also knew that she needed to be focused in order to pass Cora's test and worrying about Henry and Regina was not the way to do so. Cora's test and the dark knight and the fight!

"Regina! Our army will be attacked tonight." she said solemnly and all the knights looked up in surprise and shock.

"Did they discover our plan?" Regina whispered with fear.

"No dear, I already passed your mother's test and she believes I am on their side." Emma promised the brunette. "But she is aware of the ritual your knights of the Elite Army go through." she explained. "Because she captured Tauriel and forced me to kill her."

"But that is impossible!" Regina said terrified of what her mother did and had forced Emma to do. "I would have felt her demise."

"Yeah, but it was all a trick to test my loyalty. She then explained to me that they couldn't kill Tauriel because that would make you feel suspicious."

"Then why will they attack our army tonight?"

"Because Snow White is planning to take the Gold Kingdom tonight."

"And the spot we chose to place our army is in between." Anthony said while looking at his Queens with determination. "What are your orders my Queens?"

"My mother knows about the scouts I placed to follow you. So she would not be that surprised if she encounters some soldiers. Perhaps we would lose that battle but that way we can ensure Snow White's forces will not advance until tomorrow." Regina said what Emma had already thought before.

"I agree." the blonde princess stood by her fiancé. "But the fact that Tauriel is here changes our plan. We must save her."

"I agree." Regina was not going to forget Tauriel's loyalty and saving her was her way of showing it. "Which is why I will give Red instructions that will lead her to the dungeons. She can shift at will and hence it should not be hard for her to break Tauriel free. After that the plan remains the same. Find the Curse, meet and then transport back to the spot where we will be waiting."

"Understood." Emma said while smiling softly at her fiancé. "Before I came here I still had some doubts about doing what was necessary to ensure Henry's safety." she confessed to the brunette. "But now that I'm here I no longer feel any regret or hesitation to kill my mother or your mother."

"I am sorry you have to go through their emotional manipulations." Regina apologized.

"But there is something interesting that I didn't see and you did." Emma smiled. "They are fighting each other. They don't trust each other."

"Those are good news for us, we could use that to our advantage."

"I know." Emma turned around from her side of the room. "I have to go Regina. My father and I barely managed to avoid the guards and they will soon notice my absence."

"Ok dear." Regina said and raised her hand as if she could touch Emma. "I love you." she whispered to the blonde.

"And I love you." Emma promised her and the image in the mirror disappeared.

"So what will your orders be your Majesty?" Anthony asked Regina who turned around to face him with determination.

"FIrst we must let Queen Abigail and King Frederick know about this possible attack. Although it is a hard decision to make, I believe that they will agree with Emma and I about sending some troops to stall Snow's forces until we attack them tomorrow night."

"And since Cora knows about our scouts it will not be too shocking or surprising for her to see our alliance with the Gold Kingdom." Dorian said.

"I agree." Anthony supported his second in command. "This could be an opportunity to measure our enemy's army and see what kind of weapons they have."

"And we have the advantage that their army cannot have magical beings because most of them are extinct." Evelyne added.

"I would not put it past Snow White to force some magical prisoners to fight in exchange for their freedom." Regina muttered darkly. "We have seen already that her word means nothing. Evelyne, please go inform Queen Abigail and Frederick that I need to speak to them.

Evelyne nodded and in a hurry left the room to go find the two royals that were probably waiting in their guest room.

"What about the council? Shall we inform them of this attack?" Dorian asked.

"The less people know about this the better chances we have at succeeding. Besides, we cannot tell them that we are aware that these soldiers will die." Regina whispered. "Just because we understand that their sacrifice is necessary to win the war that does not mean they will support our decision."

"Our Queen is right." Anthony said to appease her second in command. "Right now our Queen must act like our leader and make this decision all by herself."

"A decision I have already made." she then turned around and faced Abigail and Frederick. "Please, take a seat." she motioned towards the chairs.

"Your knight told us that you were able to communicate with Emma and that Queen Snow will attack our kingdom tonight." Abigail said angrily.

"Indeed. It seems that Snow White wants to take the territory that separates our kingdoms so that she may use it towards her advantage."

"We cannot let this happen!" Frederick said strongly.

"And we will not." Regina promised them. "Which is why I asked Evelyne to find you. There is a way that can ensure the protection of your kingdom without revealing our plan."

"Which is?" Frederick asked but Regina noticed that Abigail knew exactly what she was saying.

"I do not like your plan." Abigail whispered. "But it is the best way to win this war." she then looked at her husband. "We must send some knights and let them be surprised by Snow's army."

"But they will be slaughtered!"

"Yes. But that will stop Snow's army from attacking and they will probably regroup before trying to attack us before tomorrow night." Abigail argued. "Remember, we need the element of surprise and the gates of the White Castle to be lowered if we expect to win this war."

"But all those lives." Frederick said dejectedly.

"I do not like it either, believe me." Regina promised them. "But Cora already suspects that I have an army close and that we share our alliance, hence seeing some men will not surprise her. But, if they see a whole army then they will know we have someone inside the castle. We cannot let that happen."

"Are you saying this because the person inside is your fiancé?" Frederick challenged.

"Yes and no." Regina replied honestly. "Because it is Emma the person inside I am taking every possible precaution. Because it is she I know that she would never forgive me if I risk the success of our rebellion just to keep her safe. And since I know you got the opportunity to talk to Emma I believe you would agree with me." she finished and Frederick nodded in acceptance.

"When will we send them? How will we do it without the people knowing we intently sent some of their friends to die?"

"We say that we are preparing our army and that some soldiers have to scout the area in order to ensure it is clear." Dorian said to the room. "That way when they are attacked we can claim that it was a coincidence and that their sacrifice helped us know what we will face tomorrow."

"That sounds good enough." Regina muttered darkly. "I really dislike this."

"That is what happens when royals rule with their hearts and heads." Abigail smiled sadly at her friend. "Sometimes one will win over the other and force us to do something we may not like or find morally correct."

"And we thank you for being honest with us about this and giving us the opportunity to have a say in this decision." Frederick acknowledged. "Although it is an uncomfortable decision to make we thank you for involving us."

"We are allies." Regina merely shrugged. "And we are a team. Besides, it is your kingdom the one being attacked. Still, we do not have enough time to keep questioning ourselves. So all in favor of going forward with Dorian's plan say Aye."

When everyone in the room repeated this word Regina closed her eyes before turning around to face Anthony.

"Prepare the soldiers that you believe will be adequate for this mission. Tell them that we are sending a scouting team ahead of us and that they need to report back as soon as they finish their guard." she whispered to Anthony. "After they are gone I will send Dorian to report to us what he is seeing." Regina then stared at Dorian. "You cannot let the enemy nor our army know you are there. I cannot possibly imagine how hard it will be for you to watch your men die, but the moment someone realizes you are there it will be the moment our rebellion ends."

"I understand your Majesty and I will do what you ask of me." Dorian said solemnly. "My vow of honor and duty is towards you and I will fulfill it."

"Good." Regina smiled sadly at him. "It is important that the sacrifice of this men does not go to waste."

"It will not." Anthony promised and kneeled one more time before leaving the room with his fellow knights.

After they were gone Regina sat down on her throne and hoped that the decision she had just taken was the right one. She was questioning herself because it did certainly did not feel right. And yet she logically knew that there was nothing else for them to do. Closing her eyes. she prayed Emma was alright and out of harm. _One more day,_ she whispered vehemently. _One more day until we meet again._

 **At the White Castle**

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Charming asked Emma while going around the endless halls of the castle.

"Yes." Emma continued moving forward. "I remember being in this part of the castle many times because I read somewhere that Regina used to reside here."

"But Leopold's room is on the opposite side."

Emma stopped running and smiled sadly at him. "You really have no idea. Leopold married Regina because he wanted a young woman who could be a mother to Snow and give her the siblings she wanted. Apart from that Regina was just one more slave."

"I didn't know." Charming looked down in shame. "Snow did tell me how Regina saved her and then how her father asked her to marry him. But Snow believes Regina did so because she wanted to be Queen."

"She did so because Cora killed her first love right in front of her. Cora staged everything so that Snow's horse would go out of control. The only thing she wanted for Regina was for her to have power so that she could manipulate and control her own daughter."

"Which is what your mother and I almost forced upon you." Charming said ashamed.

"You are making it up to me now by helping us stop Snow." she smiled sadly at him. "Ok, we need to turn here." she pointed towards an old hall and Charming diligently followed her.

"I didn't even know this place existed." he mused mostly to himself.

"Not many people do. After Snow became Queen she closed the main entrance. We just went through the servants passageway in order to make it here." Emma answered his unspoken question.

"Each day that passes by I keep learning secrets Snow kept from me." Charming said sadly. "Was I really that naive?"

"You're in love." the blonde smiled softly. "The mistakes a loved one does are easily forgiven and forgotten."

Charming chuckled. "When did you become so wise?"

"When I had to grow up in order to survive." Emma said firmly and stopped her father from moving forward. "This is the room."

"Then what are we waiting for?" he tried to enter but she stopped him.

"This place is sacred to Regina and I will not usurp it more than necessary and I am the only one that knows how to use the mirror. Besides, one of us should keep guard outside."

"Ok, but try to hurry."

"I will." Emma said and closed the door.

Charming then turned around and kept watch outside the door. He could hear noises coming from inside, the soft movement of feet and the placing of objects. Based on that he suspected Emma was moving pieces of furniture in search of her mirror. It still shocked him how in sync she was with Regina and how much she seemed to know about the former Evil Queen. When Emma first told him that there were no secrets between the two of them he found it hard to believe. Nevertheless, now that they had to depend on Regina's past life in the castle in order to survive, he had become a believer. It was clearly all thanks to her conversations with Emma that they were now outside this room.

Charming turned around when he heard the whispers of Emma and what seemed to be Regina's voice coming from inside the room. Smiling at the intelligence and prowess his daughter was showing, he relaxed a little. Still, it seems that it was a bad idea because the longer the two women talked the more anxious he got. Just because these rooms were not officially part of the castle that didn't mean peasants were not aware of them. And, it seems that his theory was right because he could hear voices coming from the passageway. Deciding that it was time to interrupt Emma he quickly opened the door and saw his daughter staring lovingly at a reflection of a very much pregnant Regina.

"Emma!" Charming said from out of the mirror's reach. "We are going to have company very soon."

Emma immediately turned around and quickly said goodbye to Regina. After the connection was closed Emma broke the mirror and grabbed the pieces.

"Better to be careful than to give Cora a way to spy on Regina." she explained to her father who nodded.

The two knights then swiftly got out of the room, seeing some lights coming from the other side of the hall. Looking at Emma in expectation Charming saw that she had no idea of what to do.

"There must be another way out!" he hissed at her.

"There isn't!" she answered back. "Remember, it's closed."

The voices were getting closer and closer. Closing his eyes and dreading what he was about to do Charming turned his daughter around and placed her against the wall.

"I'm sorry." Charming whispered to her and in that position they were found by a young couple of peasants.

"Would you look at that?!" the man smirked at them. "It seems that our spot has been discovered by someone else."

Charming knew that he couldn't turn around without being discovered, so keeping his face hidden on top of Emma's shoulders he spoke to them.

"Didn't know this spot was taken." he mumbled.

"Turn around, no shame with us. A man's got needs."

"I can't." he shrieked.

"Ohhhh." the man understood. "You two still not done. Apologies." the man laughed. "Come on Greta, we can find another spot. But you'll owe me!" the couple laughed and quickly left the two of them alone.

Quickly separating from Emma, Charming saw how embarrassed she was from the situation. One good thing about them is that they were very good at silently communicating with the other and right now it was clear that the two of them decided to never speak about this.

"Let's go before we have more unwanted witnesses." Emma mumbled.

Charming nodded and started to lead them towards the passageway. The way back took them longer because they were being careful. They had to think about the possible guards at their posts or the noise they made. Thankfully, the two of them reached Emma's room without much hassle and Emma quickly jumped up the window with the help of Charming.

"I'm in, now jump and I will catch you." Emma promised Charming. "And don't give me that look because I am almost as strong as you." the blonde persisted.

Deciding that they had no time to waste and that the worst case scenario was that he would be caught, Charming did as Emma told me. Thankfully, the blonde had not been bluffing when she said that she was capable of pulling him up. When the two of them were inside the room Emma quickly went to the bathroom and changed her clothes. Charming, meanwhile, was doing the same outside while keeping watch. Lucky for them, once Emma knew what she was looking for it was not so difficult to find Regina's hidden room because she had already been in said room.

"Yes, I just finished warning Regina about the attack." she whispered. "They agreed with what we thought."

"Makes sense. That way she will save more lives, keep her inside man and know the weapons that the White army has."

"I just feel bad about not being there with her when she is being forced to make the this tough decision." Emma shrugged.

"In a way you are." Charming smiled softly. "You warned her and you probably saved many lives tonight Emma."

"Let us hope it's enough for us to win this war."

Charming was going to answer her but the doors to Emma's room opened and inside came Snow White. Emma noticed how surprised she was at seeing Charming there but she quickly composed herself and smiled tightly at them. Emma knew this wasn't good for them but if she reacted then it would be even worse. She had to pretend to be careless and she was going to do that.

"I thought you were tired and that is why you retired to your room?" Snow questioned her.

"I did." Emma replied nonchalantly.

"Then why are you talking with your father and not sleeping?"

"He was talking and I was trying to sleep." she shrugged as she looked down at herself making Snow watch as well.

"Why are you talking to our daughter now? Couldn't this have waited until tomorrow?" Snow asked sweetly.

Charming gulped. "I just wanted to see her. She just came back from the Dark Kingdom and I was worried about her well-being."

"I understand." Snow smiled. "But you do not need to worry. Manohara and I checked her for injuries and found nothing wrong with her. Our daughter is back."

"Is this true?" Charming forgot to keep the facade and angrily asked Snow. "Why did you allow that vile man to put his hands on Emma?!" he bellowed.

"Watch your tone." Snow replied tersely. "Manohara has showed many times that he can be trusted. Besides, it is normal for the Evil Queen to curse the people she comes in contact with." she then focused on Charming. "We just wanted to make sure she was fine."

"And as you saw she is." Charming stood proudly. One thing was to get Emma to the castle but another one was to let that evil man/woman get close to her. He was not going to let that happen. "So there is no further need for her to see him."

"What she needs to do will be decided by me."

"I am the King and hence can also decide when it comes to my daughter's safety."

 _Shit, now he has to fight her,_ Emma angrily thought while keeping her non-caring facade. One part of her was proud her father was standing up to Snow, but the other one was worried about him revealing their plan and ruining their mission. They could not be discovered and based on this

"This conversation is dreadfully boring and I need to go to sleep. Perhaps you would prefer to take this to your own room instead of being in mine?" she huffed in annoyance and laid on her bed. "And please do close the door, it is creepy enough to know that there are guards outside my door keeping watch."

Charming took the opportunity to compose himself and he looked apologetically at Emma. He almost screwed things up for the rebellion.

"Of course." he whispered. "I just wanted to make sure you were well." he then looked at Snow and kneeled to her. "I apologize for losing my temper my Queen. I was merely concerned about Emma and her wellbeing."

"Her wellbeing?" Snow asked while motioning for him to stand up.

"Of course." he said while leaving the room with Snow in front of him. "Don't you think she is acting a little strange?"

"Strange?"

"Almost as if the Emma we have is the worst version of herself. Almost as if she was cursed by a spell." he then looked at Snow. "Perhaps the Evil Queen did curse her."

"We checked with Manohara and she was alright. Perhaps her time being captured by the Evil Queen made her change her mind about the way she was living her life."

"That does make more sense." he smiled sadly at her. "You always know what is best for us and the kingdom." he fed her ego.

"Of course I do." she smirked at him and pulled him towards their room. "I will forget what you did earlier if you promise to make it up to me." she moved her hand lower and touched his growing bulge.

Charming closed his eyes and tried his best to keep his composure. He knew what Snow was doing, how she was trying to make him forget about what he just saw. The only way she could think of doing this was through sex and although Charming fell for it many times he noticed he was getting aroused. Closing his eyes and holding his breath, Charming gulped when he felt Snow's fingers lowering his pants. He was just as tempted to push away from her as he was to turn her around and fuck her senseless. Still, this did not feel right and he did not want to be with Snow, not when he knew that she had been intimate with Cora. Turning his face around he ignored to focus on Snow and he just allowed her to move his groin around, teasing it and preparing it. When he knew that he was close to coming, he noticed Snow moving farther away and then quickly land on top of him, making him groan in relief and pain. He could soon hear Snow's grunting, and without wanting to, he felt himself exploding inside of her. This time when he saw Snow he could barely stare at her without wanting to cry or run away from her. Closing his eyes in shame and surrender he tried to remember the last time the two of them had made love and it scared him when he was unable to.

* * *

 **At the Dark Kingdom**

"Your Majesty." Anthony entered the room with a grim look on his face. "The soldiers are ready for you to transport them."

"I am afraid I will not be able to do it alone." she confessed to his loyal knight. "I need the help of some of the Gold's Kingdom witches."

"I will tell Queen Abigail and King Frederick right away." Evelyne vowed and immediately left the room.

"This was not so hard when I was the Evil Queen." Regina muttered but Anthony and Dorian heard her.

"It was because before you came back you were consumed by your need for revenge. Since that is gone you are now capable of feeling more than hate." Anthony smiled softly.

"Not to mention that these people have showed you and your Queen loyalty and support. If there is one thing you always did your Majesty was to reward loyalty." Dorian added.

"I just wish there was another way for us to fool Snow and keep our people save."

"Perhaps there can be." a voice said from behind and Regina saw the Blue Fairy come inside the room. "Your Majesty."

"You are back." she said bitterly. "Why are you back?"

"I heard of your predicament and I believe I can help you." she approached the Queen slowly. "Apart from that I hope you and Henry are doing well?"

"We are." she smiled softly at the mention of his son. "He is growing stronger and I am refraining myself from using magic. Apart from what I am about to do I have not used it in days."

"I understand." Blue promised her. "And I can also feel the sadness and sorrow you are feeling at having to send these men to die."

"A painful but necessary thing to do if we want to ensure the success of this rebellion."

"Agreed. I am not telling you to not send your men." she smiled warmly. "But let me aid them with something that will help further our purposes and give the enemy a false sense of security."

"How will you do that?"

"Magic of course." the Blue Fairy took out her wand and with a flick a small bag appeared on her other hand. "Now this..." she told Regina while giving it to her. "Is a powerful spell that can create vivid illusions and trick the mind at the same time. You must give this to a knight you trust and tell him to let the soldiers fight for a while. When the time is right he must enter the battlefield and spread the spell. It will put Snow White's soldiers under a deep sleep, giving your soldiers enough time to escape. I believe the encounter itself will be enough to force Snow White to stall until the marriage with Prince Killian is through."

"That is a very well thought plan." Regina whispered with relief. "And there is no trick or price to pay for this?" she asked the fairy.

"No your Majesty." the Blue Fairy understood the Queen's doubt. "But I do ask of you to let me move something of mine into the Dark Castle. I am afraid I cannot tell you what it is since it has been forbidden for me to do so by Fate. But I promise you that it is not meant to hurt anyone, only aid us if the need arises."

Regina looked at the Blue Fairy and although she did not have Emma's ability of knowing when someone was lying she did not see anything wrong in the Blue Fairy. Knowing that the alternative she was being given was going to save more lives and still stall Snow's army was a good deal she simply nodded.

"Thank you your Majesty." the Blue Fairy kneeled one more time and left the room.

"Do you truly trust her?" Dorian asked wearily.

"As I told Red, I do trust her in her endeavor to keep Emma and her child safe, hence I should be safe as well. She knows that using my magic may harm the child, which is why she gave us this alternative. Besides, what else can we do? At least with this alternative we tried to save our men."

"I agree." Anthony said while taking the pouch from Regina and giving it to Dorian. "Your mission has changed. You must stay at the back of the battle and then, when you deem it the right time, spread the spell and relocate."

"Emma, in case something like this happened, gave me another location that we could use and that it is still close enough to the castle's walls. I will give you the coordinates and then you will take the remaining soldiers there and wait for us until tomorrow morning." Regina told Dorian who nodded in understanding.

"I will do what my Queen asks." he vowed and kneeled in front of her.

"And I thank you." Regina motioned for him to rise. Now Anthony, do get our soldiers ready so we can send them away." she said while telling Evelyne and the witches to enter the room. "You know how to do a transportation spell, correct?"

"Of course your Majesty." one answered after getting over the surprise of seeing the Queen pregnant.

"Good." she noticed them looking down at her stomach. "And this must remain a secret, understood?"

All the witches nodded in acceptance and immediately prepared themselves for the spell.

"This is where you will transport the men." Regina used a little of her magic to show them an image of the spot.

Nodding in understanding the witches concentrated and Regina felt the magic coming from them. These women were strong, and perhaps after the war was over she could offer them a position at her court, one that would incentivize teaching magic and using it. She knew it was time to eliminate this belief of magic being used solely for evil and that if wielded correctly it could help many people.

"Now, if you are all ready let us go and send these soldiers away." Regina told the women who nodded in agreement and started following her.

 **At the White Kingdom**

"Your Majesty!" A man came through the room where Snow and Charming were sleeping. "Oh, I'm sorry." he said while looking down and hoping that nothing bad would happen to him.

"What are you doing here?" Snow asked angrily while standing up, not caring about her nudity. "If you don't start speaking soon I will kill you myself."

"Snow..." Charming started to say sleepily.

"Our forces were attacked!" he shrieked and the Queen stopped moving around the room. "There were soldiers of the Evil Queen lurking around and they met with our men in the fields. The fight is still underway."

"Was it an army?" Snow asked while putting her robe on.

"No your Majesty, more like a scouting group." he relayed what his general had told him to say. "Their numbers were low but they still managed to kill many of our men. Their weapons were just better and they were more trained than our own men."

"But that is impossible!" she screamed. "How could she acquire an adequate army in such a time?"

"She is allied with the Gold Kingdom and many deserters and mercenaries are aiding her as well." the young soldier kept on rambling unaware of when to keep quiet. "The whole scouting group was built on people who don't support you."

Snow turned around and smiled darkly at him. "Is that so?" she feigned ignorance.

"Yes." the main explained happily. He looked at the King who was moving his head from side to side, obviously trying to tell him something. "They are a formidable foe."

"Formidable? You seem rather taken with her army and the Queen herself." she took her sword and looked at it. "Would you prefer for her to be the Queen?"

"Of course not!" the young man finally understood. "I am loyal to you and the White Kingdom."

"I am glad to hear that, hence I am going to reward your loyalty." Snow took out her sword in a rush and killed the young man with it. She stared at Charming who was looking at the man on the floor with shock and sorrow. "Now do not give me that look." she huffed in boredom. "And do get dressed. It seems as if our plan to attack the Gold Kingdom will have to be stalled until we marry Emma to Prince Killian."

"What about the Dark Kingdom soldiers?" Charming asked Snow White. "Why are you not concerned about them being here?"

"Not surprising that the Evil Queen is trying to mess my plans." Snow muttered to herself. "I am more worried about Emma's safety and that is why we will continue with our wedding plans. Once we bind Emma to Prince Killian we can use their army to attack her and the war will be over."

"There is no war." he huffed in exasperation. "Only the one you want to create after you get your army."

"Are you questioning my decisions again?" she said angrily.

"I'm merely trying to understand them." he got up from the bed and started to put his clothes on.

"Where are you going?" Snow asked angrily.

"I'm getting ready since you told me to do so." he bit back and closed his eyes trying to contain himself. "I only want to please you."

Snow looked at Charming and was not able to stop herself from seeing something she did not see before. This man in front of her was not the same one that left her kingdom 6 days ago. This man was the same man she had met many years ago, the one she had married and the one that had tried his best to do what was right. And that man was not the one she needed right now. This man was an obstacle for her plans and Manohara and her both underestimated his love for her and his ignorance. Time away from her grasp allowed him to think and to question the way she had treated him. This meant that Emma's position here was in danger and she had to do whatever it took to stop this from happening. It was certainly ironic to see that the person inside her castle that could harm her plans was not Emma, the Evil Queen's True Love, but it was her own husband, ignorant and stupid David.

"Of course." she smiled darkly at him. "Guards!" she screamed and they entered the room. "Take the King to the dungeons and make sure he cannot get out."

"What are you doing?!" he screamed at her while trying to walk free. He had messed things for the rebellion and he had to make sure that they didn't know about Emma. "I have followed your every wish and desire for years."

"And I appreciate that." she smiled at him while caressing his face. "But it seems that your time away from the castle has led you to forget your place in it; below me. I don't lie to be questioned and all you have been doing since you got here is questions. I am merely taking precautions until Emma is married. After the wedding I will set you free."

"You know this is not the right thing to do! Please Snow, do not do this. Emma deserves to be happy."

"Emma will do what I tell her to do because she is my daughter. I own her."

"Is that what our daughter is to you? An object?" he moved around. "Emma?! Emma!" he had to play his part well and make it seem as if he was trying to take her away, that it was all his fault.

"Shut up!" she screamed and hit him with the hilt of her sword, ending his screams. "Take him away now and make sure no one sees you."

The guards nodded, too afraid to question the Queen's actions since they did not wish the same fate the King had gone through. Meanwhile Snow was angrily walking around her room, thinking about what all of this meant. She had to find Manohara and talk to him right away. Their war was at risk.


	23. This is the End

**Author's Note:** Longest and the last chapter of this story. It has been a journey to write this and I'm sad to see it finish. I want to thank you all for your support and to keep reading and waiting for the sequel. Happy new year everyone and may all your hopes and dreams come true.

PS: No Beta so all mistakes are mine. Will check them later.

* * *

 **At the Dark Kingdom**

"Any news?" Regina asked Anthony again. She was trying to keep her calm and composure but it was turning out to be a futile attempt.

"No your Majesty." he said again with sorrow.

It had been hours since her Queen and the other witches sent the men to the White Kingdom, followed closely by Dorian. At least he was not concerned about the safety of his second in command because he was tied to their Queen and she had not felt anything wrong, which meant that he was safe. Nevertheless, it was worrisome to not know anything about the status of the battle, or if the spell the Blue Fairy gave their Queen actually worked. Although he also believed that the fairy was honest about her desire to protect Queen Emma and her unborn child, he was still hesitant about trusting her. It was known to all of them of the way fairies conducted themselves, granting wishes only to royals because of their bloodline and wealth. Him being a farmer before joining the Dark Kingdom's army was one way in which he attempted to make his own life better, not wanting to end the same way his parents did; angrily taking care of a land they didn't love. Anthony promised himself to never become that way, to always do what he loved and live life to the extreme. He had found that in Queen's Regina army, his bravery and prowess quickly making him climb upward and earn the attention of the royal. He had always supported her, even during her darkest time and he was not going to stop now. The woman in front of him deserved happiness and it seemed that he had finally found it. He was going to help her keep it no matter what.

"Perhaps one of us should go check on them?" Evelyne suggested.

"I cannot risk losing more members of my Elite Army." Regina muttered. "Tauriel is captured and we do not know Dorian's position."

"Perhaps we were tricked by the Blue Fairy." Anthony voiced his suspicions.

"I do not think so, or if she did it was involuntary. She truly believed that what she was giving us was a spell to aid us."

"Then why are we not hearing back from them?" Abigail asked while pacing around. "Are you sure that mirror you gave your knight works?"

"Absolutely." she promised the other two royals in the room. "And only someone loyal to the Dark Kingdom can access it since I placed a charm on it."

"So Snow White cannot trace it or use it against us." Frederick understood.

 _"Your Majesty."_ they heard the voice of Dorian coming from the mirror in front of them and Regina immediately stood up.

"We can hear you Dorian." Regina panicked when she saw the bloody clothes. "What happened?"

 _"It went as expected my Queen. The White Kingdom's army surprised our scouting group and a fight immediately started. From what I could see a small group returned to the White Kingdom while the rest stayed, fighting our own. The spell given to me by the Blue Fairy worked perfectly and I am currently leading our men to the edge of the White Kingdom. I told the soldiers to remain hidden in this town until they receive new orders."_

"Once you reach this town touch the mirror and I will know that it is time for me to transport you back." the Queen ordered his knight and he nodded. "We have much to discuss about this battle."

 _"Understood."_ Dorian said and quickly closed the mirror.

"These are good news." Abigail relaxed and sat down next to her husband. "Your plan worked and Snow White will not attack our kingdom tonight. Thank you Regina."

"I am sure you two would have done the same for the Dark Kingdom." she smiled softly. "But this also means that Snow White will be in a hurry to start the wedding."

"What shall we do your Majesty?" Anthony asked.

"Although Emma passed by this place and did not suggest it to me, I remember from my time in the White Kingdom that there is a hidden hill behind the walls of the castle. The climb upwards will take a little longer, but we will remain out of sight until it is the right time to attack."

"Why did you not think about it before?" Abigail asked.

"Because it will tire our soldiers to make it up, giving us a small disadvantage. Nevertheless, this option is better than using the same spot of today."

"I agree." Evelyne said. "Besides, once Queen Emma opens the gates a small group can enter the castle and capture Queen Snow. Once that is done the war is over."

"So the battle is a distraction for Emma to find the Dark Curse and take it before your mother or Snow use it." Abigail now understood.

"Correct. We have to keep Snow White distracted from what is happening inside the castle. With Prince Killian and many other royals around, we are hoping Emma can evade her captors for a little while and help Red search for the Dark Curse."

"You mean she doesn't even know where it is?" Frederick asked. "We are basing this whole rebellion and attack on the fact that the person we mostly depend on doesn't know where the curses of all curses is?!"

"I have faith in Emma." Regina vowed to the room. "And so should you. Besides, if there is one person that knows the White Castle it is Queen Emma."

 **At the White Kingdom**

"Where is he?" Emma murmured to herself while preparing for breakfast.

She had agreed with her father to talk before the guards escorted her out, so that she would find out what happened with the attack. Nevertheless, she had been waiting for a while and still no sign of her father. She was starting to get worried, not knowing if he was just being careful or if something wrong happened to him. Without him she had no way of knowing what was happening inside the castle without raising suspicions. She had to keep her facade of indifference and asking too many questions was not the way to do so. Pacing around the room in circles, trying to think of what to do, she stopped moving around when the doors opened and Snow passed through them. What she did not like about this was the way she was smiling at Emma, almost as if she was delighted at the fact that Emma had 'lost' her memory.

"Mother." Emma spat out while kneeling. "How may I be of service?"

"I thought today would be a happy day for you." Snow teased her. "After all, one does not get married every day."

"I am happy that by doing this I am saving my kingdom." she replied while trying to smile.

"And that is all we need." Snow hugged her and Emma refrained from moving away. "Now come and join me for breakfast. Prince Killian will arrive shortly and we will start the ceremony as soon as the sun sets."

Emma nodded and giving one last look at her room she fell into step behind Snow. She could see that the people in the castle were avoiding them, mostly keeping to themselves and refusing to be seen or heard. She also noticed that there were not as many guards as the day before, probably meaning that Snow sent them to the battlefront. She was still worried about her father and was almost tempted to ask Snow about him. Nevertheless, she knew that if she showed Snow that she cared then she would be suspected right away. Emma decided to remain quiet and walk with Snow towards the dining room in quiet contempt.

"Once we are done with breakfast you must go to your room since you will have your dress tailored." Snow conversed with her while entering the room and sitting down at the head of the table. "After that the maids will brush and comb your hair while others put your wedding dress on. After that the only thing you have to do is say yes when the priest asks you if you want to marry Prince Killian."

"Sounds easy enough." Emma said pretending boredom. "I assume everyone will be present at this wedding?"

"Of course. It's not every day that we have a royal wedding of such magnitude." Snow smirked. "This union will make our kingdom be bigger than the Gold and Dark Kingdoms. Everyone will want to be here when his happens."

"And they shall be." Manohara entered the room and sat next to Snow. "All guests have confirmed their presence at the ceremony."

"Wonderful." Snow smiled happily and started eating. "Emma, do consider what you eat if you wish to fit your dress."

Emma refrained herself from answering back, and lowering her head in acceptance she took just the necessary to stop her hunger but not sate it. She could sense Manohara analyzing all of her movements and responses, which was something that had her nervous. Still, the man/woman had not said a word and she knew that were he/she to know the truth a reaction would have been seen. Turning around and facing her mother she decided to just remain quiet and patiently wait for the right time to act. She was not sure yet of when, but at one point she had to make time to go with Red and find the Dark Curse. But based on what she was seeing her mother was not letting her off her sight so easily. Someone or something needed to distract her if she wanted to do what Regina asked her to do.

"Your Majesty." a knight entered the room and looked at the three people eating. "I bring you news from the front."

"What news?" Snow asked, ignoring a warning glance she got from Manohara. Imagining what he was thinking, she decided to test Emma and see how she would respond to the news of the Dark Kingdom being close.

"I am afraid our soldiers are not quite sure of what happened." he told them honestly, expecting reprimand and death to follow the news. "One minute the men were fighting the scouts of the Dark Kingdom and the next one they were in an empty field. Were it not for the bodies of the death men that were still there they would have believed that nothing happened."

Snow simply remained quiet, staring at her plate in contemplation. Meanwhile Emma was doing everything she could to not react to the news. From what she was hearing it seemed that Regina found a way to stop Snow's troops from advancing to the Gold Kingdom without sacrificing the lives of her men. She wanted to smile in happiness and relief, feeling proud of her fiancé and the way she had changed and now valued human life.

"So what does this mean?" Snow carefully asked. "Did we capture the Dark Kingdom's soldiers? Did we kill them all?"

"No your Majesty." the soldier gulped. "It seems they escaped."

Snow quickly stood up from the table and angrily threw her plate at the knight, who moved out of the way before it hit him. Emma simply stared at the commotion in awe, surprised at the way Snow was acting. She immediately flinched when the White Queen approached the knight and stopped right in front of him.

"So you are telling me that our whole army was not capable of killing a scouting troop of the Dark Kingdom?!" she bellowed in anger. "And that these scouting group managed to make it back to wherever they came from with the information they needed?!"

"Your Majesty." Manohara said trying to appease her. "What this does is only stall your invasion of the Gold Kingdom. Your soldiers did manage to get the scouts out of our kingdom. Once Princess Emma is married you will also have the forces of the Underwater Kingdom to launch a full invasion."

Snow relaxed a little after hearing Manohara's speech. "You are right. Once Emma gets married our problem with the Dark Kingdom will be solved. Although I do wonder why there were scouts in the kingdom."

"Isn't it obvious?" Manohara pointed towards Emma who was absently eating. "The Evil Queen wants to get Princess Emma back, perhaps believing that she will be capable of returning her memories."

"Could that happen?" Snow asked worriedly.

"Did it happen when Charming kissed you?"

"No." Snow smiled.

"It can't happen because the person doesn't remember that they were in love." he smirked at the Princess. "It's quite the effective potion."

"But Charming still broke it. By putting himself in danger and sacrificing his life for me."

"Then I believe it is better we don't let Princess Emma meet with the Evil Queen." Manohara smiled darkly at the White Queen. "In fact, it is better if we isolate her completely until the wedding."

"Agreed." Snow smiled and then turned around to face her daughter. "Emma, please come." she smiled while motioning for her daughter to come forward.

"What can I do for you mother?"

"Now that you have eaten I want you to go with Manohara and remain in your room until Prince Killian arrives."

Emma was getting worried. Perhaps they discovered her and this was their way of getting rid of her. "You are going to send me with this peasant?" she asked insulted on purpose.

"If I were you I would be careful with the way you address people more powerful than you, your highness."

"And I would follow your own advise if I were you. Were I to die my mother's reign would end with me. Meanwhile, if you die, no one will care or even cry for you." she spat at the man/woman and this time she didn't have to fake her hate. "Because I can't see anyone loving such a waste of a man."

Manohara was going to raise his hand and hit the young woman, but Snow instantly stood in between them with a smirk on her face. Her daughter was cold and ruthless and she liked it. Nevertheless, she knew better than to have her challenge the magic user.

"Obviously this is not going to work." she mused loudly while fake pouting. "Would you go to your room if I sent you with Greta and a knight escort?"

"Anything better than him. Magic user." she spat at the floor and then turned around and left.

"I swear if we didn't need her this much I would be happy to kill her." Manohara spat at her retreating form while turning around and facing a mocking Snow. "Are you finding this entertaining?"

"Immensely." she laughed while getting closer to Manohara and placing her hand on his chest. "Besides, you should be proud of yourself. It was your plan to give her the potion and sending Charming to get her."

"I promised you an army and that is what I intend to give you My Majesty." he bowed slightly.

"Although I have not forgiven you yet for going behind my back, I am willing to temporarily forget it and instead do more productive activities." Snow smirked at the man.

"And what would those productive activities entail?" Manohara started to move forward while grabbing Snow's waist roughly.

"The ones that I have desired of having since Emma and Charming came back." Snow whispered while lowering her hands.

"He couldn't satisfy you the way I do." he smirked at the queen who nodded in acceptance.

"He loves me too much." Snow panted while going lower and opening a zip.

"And is that so bad?" Manohara said while transporting them in a cloud of purple smoke to Snow's chambers.

"It's just boring." Snow moaned and immediately trapped the man under her. They didn't have much time to play and tease each other. Prince Killian was on his way.

SQSQSQSQSQ

Emma had managed to hear the soft grunting and moans coming from the room as soon as she left it. Disgusted and saddened by this, she decided to take advantage of their distraction and somehow lose her watchers. She was aware of the fact that she had agreed with Regina to wait until later, but none of them would have expected Snow to occupy Cora. Shuddering the disgust this made her feel, Emma had noticed the way Greta stared at her when she was pretending to not look. In fact, the two of them had been somehow friends, sharing small talk and random things that happened to them in their very different lives. Because of this she wanted to believe that Greta would act as a friend and help her somehow relay a message to Regina. It was the only way to get Red here, and based on the time, she knew Regina would not be able to wait at the Dark Kingdom. Knowing her fiancé, Regina was already at the Dark Kingdom waiting for the right time to attack. The only thing she now had to do was get her to move things forward. She had to find the Dark Curse, her father, meet with Red and free Tauriel before Prince Killian arrived.

The moment Emma arrived at the room with Greta and the guard she decided to risk it and reveal to Greta the truth about the rebellion and plan they had. Worst case scenario was that she would have to use her magic to transport out of the castle and plan with Regina a more direct attack. She was hoping this didn't happen.

"You." she looked at Greta. "Help me with my clothes. They stink of peasant." she retorted and saw the guard look up in annoyance but acceptance.

"Yes your highness." Greta mumbled and entered the room.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Emma sat down in the bed and waited for Greta to look at her. When she didn't, the blonde princess decided to risk it.

"Is that the way to say hi to your friend after not seeing her for weeks?" she whispered while smiling at the shocked girl.

"Emma?" she asked carefully. "It can't be. You were cursed."

"They tried." Emma smiled. "But they failed."

"But I mean..." she stuttered. "Your father brought you back. Why would you come back here and marry Prince Killian? I thought that was why you escaped."

"I will not marry Prince Killian." the blonde vowed. "But I had to come back. You must know why Greta."

"The rebellion. You are working undercover with Queen Regina!" she shrieked in excitement and Emma hushed her.

"Do keep quiet! Remember that I must pretend to not remember or care about anyone."

"I'm sorry." Greta said while approaching Emma and hugging her. "I'm so happy to see you're alright my friend."

"It's good that you consider me your friend because I need your help. And before you start objecting, I know what you will risk by aiding me. Nevertheless, I promise you that if you help me you will no longer work for the White Kingdom. In fact, you will be free."

"How can I be sure that this isn't a trick and that you will tell Queen Snow about this? Why are you even telling me all of this?"

"I didn't want to." she replied softly. "I didn't want to involve anyone in the castle because I don't know who I can trust. That's why I was working with my father. But something must have happened to him."

Greta looked down in sadness and nodded in confirmation. "I'm not sure this is true, but some workers were whispering that King David is in the dungeons. He was sent there by Queen Snow herself."

Shit, were we discovered? "Do you know why this happened?"

"He challenged her. He stood up to her because he wanted you to marry out of love and not as an obligation. Queen Snow refused this and took him there."

"This is not good." Emma started to move around the room, walking in circles. "I need a person inside that can tell me what is happening with the royal council. My father decides now to challenge her and not sooner." she finished angrily. "He may have compromised this whole mission because of his selfishness."

"If you don't mind me asking..." Greta decided to boldly ask. "Why are you doing this? Why did you come back when you were already away at the Dark Kingdom and out of reach?"

"Because I have too much to lose if my mother is allowed to remain in power." Emma decided to be honest. "I'm sure you must have heard of my relationship with Queen Regina." Emma smiled sadly when Greta nodded. "She is my Truest Love Greta. I finally found the person of my dreams and her safety is being threatened by my mother and Manohara. Too much has happened that I cannot explain to you right now, but trust me when I tell you that I will leave this castle. Regina and Henry are waiting for me out there and nothing will stop me from seeing and being with them." she vowed.

"Henry?" Greta asked.

"My son." Emma said softly. "Since we are Truest Loves..."

"The two of you can conceive." Greta finished. "We peasants may be ignorant about politics and economics, but one thing we do know is the magic of True Love and what it can do. I'm happy for you your Highness."

"Emma please." the blonde smiled softly. "Will you help me Greta? We found a way to make things right, and for that to happen I need to leave this room.

Greta looked up at the princess and was aware of the way the woman in front of her had changed. She was naive before, ignorant about the way people lived their lives outside the castle. Before she craved the freedom of a girl with no responsibilities. Now it was different. Now she could see that the princess had seen too much and was trying her best to make their land a better place. And although it must have pained her to realize this, in order to do that they needed to get Queen Snow out of power. It was the only way. Greta knew this. And it seems that now so did the princess.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked determinedly.

"Get me out of here."

* * *

 **Somewhere in the White Kingdom**

"Are you sure we were not seen?" Anthony asked Evelyne who looked around her.

"We were not." she answered while putting her sword away. "It seems that Queen Snow called all her soldiers back to the castle."

"They are preparing for war with the Dark Kingdom." Dorian said from behind them. "Just as Queen Regina and Emma suspected it, Queen Snow is waiting until the arrival of the Underwater Kingdom army in order to attack us."

"Then it is a good thing that we are already here." Regina said while following behind her guards. "It is good to see you well." she said to Dorian who nodded in thanks. "What about our soldiers, where are they?"

"In different locations around the town your Majesty." Evelyne informed her. "Waiting until their generals inform them to go to battle."

"Good." Regina tried to remain calm but by each passing hour it was getting harder to do. "What about the witches and the magical creatures?"

"Ready as well." Granny said while looking at her granddaughter who confirmed it. "They want revenge."

"And they shall have it." the Queen promised them. "What about you Red."

"You know I'm ready." she promised her. "I will not let anything happen to Emma, I give you my word."

"I know." Regina deflated. "It is just that all this waiting and wondering makes me question our plan."

"Up until now everything you suspected Snow would do has occurred. Your mother is staying close to Emma who is playing her part well and the preparations for the wedding are still happening."

"Then why is it that I feel our plan may have to change?"

"I'm sure that's all nerv..." Red was saying but then stopped when she felt a presence coming towards them. "You need to hide."

Regina nodded and immediately covered her face with a veil while staying behind her guards who took out their swords. Anthony walked forward and pointed it towards a young boy who didn't move or flinch at its sight.

"Wait, I know him!" Red said while lowering the soldier's sword and moving towards him. "He works at the castle."

The boy smiled at recognizing her but immediately scolded his features. He had a message to deliver and he had to do it fast before he was found out. "I have a message for Queen Regina." he said firmly. "From Princess Emma."

Regina was almost willing to reveal herself to the boy, but this could easily be her mother pretending. She focused her magic and found no traces of her mother's essence. In fact, the boy seemed like he was just a boy. Still, his heart could have been taken out and he was being manipulated by her mother. She had to remain cautious.

"You must know that it could be possible for you to be a spy, right?" Red lowered herself in front of the boy who nodded. "And Emma must have been aware of this too." the boy nodded again. "Which means that she gave you some kind of proof that would make us believe you."

"She did." he then blushed and the werewolf smirked. "But is something that I can only tell her Majesty."

Red nodded towards Regina who took off her veil and slowly walked towards the boy. When he saw her he opened his mouth in wonderment at the sight of the woman in front of him. He had heard the stories said about the Evil Queen. How she was jealous of Queen Snow White because of her beauty and how ugly she was. Nevertheless, the woman standing in front of him was the most beautiful one he had seen. Also her eyes, her eyes were the kindest, apart from the ones of his own mother, that he had ever seen.

"Tell me young man, what message does Princess Emma have for me?" she smiled warmly when he saw him reddened.

"She told me that when the two of you were saying goodbye, she promised to defend her Queen and give her Snow White's crown. But that you refused, saying that you had other plans for the crown." the boy looked up and saw Regina smiling brightly at him. He continued. "Princess Emma told me that you promised her that the crown would be placed on her own head since she was the Queen of the White Kingdom." the boy finished while looking down.

"And I stand by what I said." she looked up at her guards who were admiring the exchange. "This boy is telling us the truth. My mother would have suspected Emma would give me the crown that is true. But, we also know how selfish she can be, which means that she would not say that I would give it back to Emma."

"I can believe that." Granny said while coming out of the shadows while lowering her crossbow.

"Why are you here boy?" Regina asked now, showing him how worried she was.

"Do not fear. Princess Emma is well. In trouble but well." he explained. "King David has been locked up by Queen Snow, which means that she has no one on the war council to warn her about possible attacks."

"Charming was captured?" Red asked worriedly. "Does that mean she was found out?"

"No, but Queen Snow has locked her in her room until the wedding."

"And how did she get your help?"

"Greta. She works at the castle as well and she has been a friend of Princess Emma for a while."

"Emma had to tell someone to aid her since her father got himself captured. Foolish man." Regina complained loudly.

"But that is not all." he motioned for them to remain quiet. "Princess Emma also told me that you need to send Red and prepare your army now."

"Now?" Regina asked. "I thought we were waiting until the wedding so that Snow and Cora were distracted."

"They are distracted now." the boy mumbled while looking down in shame. "Which is why you must send the two of us back to the White Castle."

"Are you sure this is not a trap?" Anthony asked cautiously.

"He gave us the proof that he came giving us a message from Emma. Besides, Emma would have revealed her magic before being hurt by my mother or Snow, in order to warn me that something was wrong. If she has not then that means she remains safe and undercover."

"Which is why I should enter to the castle through the peasant chambers and meet with Emma instead of being transported there. Emma wants to prevent herself from using magic until the last moment."

"So my mother remains distracted and unaware of her moving around the castle." Regina finished Red's line of thought. "I will trust your word boy. But before you leave... How did you find us?"

"Everyone in the town knows that you're here." he smiled warmly. "Well, everyone except the soldiers. We all want to see Queen Snow go. We have heard of the people at the Dark Kingdom and how they are being fed and protected. People here want that as well."

"And I promise you dear boy that Princess Emma and I will do our best in giving you that." Regina vowed.

"Come on Oliver, we must go back before someone notices you are gone." Red turned around towards Regina. "I will keep her safe."

"I know." Regina used her magic and placed a concealment spell on Red. "And this is me returning the favor. Be safe."

"We will." the werewolf vowed and left with Oliver in a hurry.

"Now that Red is on her way. Let us rally our troops and wait for Emma to activate our bond. As soon as that is done we march towards the gates of the White Castle." Regina said and got a confirmation from her guards and Granny.

* * *

 **At the White Kingdom**

"Are you sure we can trust him?" Emma moved from side to side.

"Of course." she said while going forward and then telling Emma to follow her. "Oliver will do and say what you asked him to." Greta smiled warmly. "He is a good kid."

"I have no doubt of that." the blonde said. "But we are placing a lot on him and it would be understandable if he messed up."

"Oliver has seen the way Queen Snow treats us. He wants her out of her seat of power just as much as the rest of us do." the peasant vowed while stopping at a door. "Ok, getting out of this corridor will be harder than the others because some guards remain here during the day.

"Then what shall we do?"

"You will follow my lead." she gave Emma some old clothes and dirtied her face. "I'm sorry." she apologized. "But they won't look at you if you are dirty. The soldiers like their women clean." she hissed angrily.

"I know." she told her friend. "And I promise you they will pay." she got ready and immediately fell into step behind Greta.

"Don't walk with your back straight and limp a little." she instructed Emma and nodded when she complied. "The less they notice you the better."

Emma decided to remain quiet while walking around the corridor, doing what Greta told her to do and not get the soldiers' attention. The two women walked close to each other, wishing to be simply ignored so that they could just move forward with their plan. Based on what they had asked Oliver to tell Regina, he had to come back with Red so that they could start they search for the Dark Curse. Emma was not worried about them not finding her in her room since she had told the guard that she was going to get her measurements ready for her dress and that her maid was escorting her there. Nothing suspicious about doing that and the activity indeed took a while to get done. Quickly looking around her, she exhaled when they passed the corridor and no one noticed their presence there. She could also notice that Greta relaxed as well, a soft smile appearing on her face the moment the two of them left the castle. Now that they were outside it was easier for Emma to breath and to think clearly of what she wanted to do first.

"Ok, now we must quickly go to the stables. I told Oliver to take Red there and wait until we show." Greta whispered to Emma who nodded and followed along.

"I want to thank you for helping me." Emma started to say.

"It was the right thing to do."

"I know, but still, you are risking a lot and I don't want you to get in trouble. So, the moment I meet with Red you must go back to your post at the castle. That way no one will suspect you and you can remain an asset and tell us if you hear something happening."

"What will happen when your mother finds out you're not in your room?"

"The moment that happens she will be much worried about the army outside her gates than finding me." Emma promised. "Besides, I'm more worried about Manohara than her."

"Why? He's just an advisor."

"We both know he's not just that. Besides, he has magic."

"Ok, that is worrisome." Greta conceded.

"Don't worry. We will win this battle."

"I wish I could be as confident as you are."

"You will be." Emma promised her and ran towards the stables when she saw a smile boy with a woman waiting for them.

"Oliver." Greta scolded him immediately. "I told you to bring Red!" she shrieked loudly.

"And he did." Emma smiled warmly while hugging Red tightly to her. "It's so nice to see you."

"Likewise." she smiled at Emma. "Your fiancé and Henry are well. They are anxious to see you and for this to be over." she appeased the blonde immediately.

"Queen Regina is your fiancé?!" Greta whispered loudly.

"Surprise." Emma blushed. She turned towards the little boy and kneeled. "Thank you for helping me Oliver."

"You're welcome." he then blushed. "You have a beautiful bride to be."

Emma chuckled. "I know." she winked at him and turned serious. "Now you must go back and pretend none of this happened. No one can suspect Red is here." she then looked at Greta. "Remember what I told you. Stay safe and don't do anything that will get you captured. We already have too many people to get out of the dungeons." she joked.

"I won't." Greta promised and after giving one last hug to Emma left with Oliver following her closely.

"Lucky for us Snow wasn't nice to her people." Red muttered.

"Indeed." Emma agreed and grabbed Red's hand. "Did you bring the potions?"

"I did." Red took two out. "The blue one is a location spell that will sense the magic of the Dark Curse and guide us towards it. The red one is an elimination spell that will get rid of any of Cora's magic. Regina worked days on this potion."

"That is the Regina I know." she smiled softly. "We need to find this potion fast and then go the dungeons. The moment we find the Dark Curse I will open my bond with Regina. I know she will be waiting until I do so to send the troops to battle. Once that happens I will transport you to the dungeons while I go to the gates and open them."

"Understood." the werewolf agreed and spilled the contents of the location spell in the air. A blue cloud appeared immediately and led them towards a hidden door near the castle grounds.

"Let's just hope that no one pays attention to the very obvious blue cloud that is floating in front of us." Emma muttered.

"No one will because only magical beings can see it." Red mocked her. "And assuming that your mother almost extinguished them from existence, none will tell her of magic being used in her castle."

"Ok, I had that one coming." Emma chuckled while opening the hidden door and entering. "There is dark magic here." she spat out at the feeling of dread and darkness pouring into her.

"Indeed." Red said while shivering. "I have never felt magic this dark. Not even Regina's during her time as Evil Queen was as this."

"Because Regina always possessed her heart." Emma explained. "This magic is dark because the wielder felt no remorse in doing what was necessary to cast it."

"And how do you even know that?" Red asked surprised.

"I don't know." Emma answered just as surprised. "I just thought about it and realized I knew the answer." she shrugged. "Perhaps it's a new ability we acquired without us noticing it."

"Ability?"

"Yes, through our bond of Truest Love Regina and I can do a couple of things. Apparently acquiring knowledge from each other is another ability to add."

"Then let's take advantage of your new found knowledge." Red muttered while pointing towards a rock wall.

Emma closed her eyes, trying to remember, or in this case access Regina's memories, what the spell used by Cora here was. It didn't take her long to realize that this protection spell was not difficult to break. The only thing they needed was a small sacrifice, in the case of this specific enchantment blood from a magical being.

"Well, Cora would have been smart in placing this spell when she didn't expect a magical being to come get her Dark Curse." she smiled softly at Red who nodded in understanding and gave her her hand. "The only thing we need to do is give a blood sacrifice." she muttered and the moment she spread Red's blood on the wall it started to shine.

"Even after all this time I still get surprised by the power of magic and what it can do." Red whispered once the rock wall in front of them disappeared and they were instead standing on a big hallway.

It would have been a simple hallway were it not for the many different doors that were appearing by each passing second. They seemed to be endless and similar in all kinds of ways, which meant that there must be another way for them to find the correct one. Closing her eyes, Emma tried to use what Regina taught her about magic and focus on the essence of it. She remembered Regina explaining to her that magic was like energy, and that every magical being could feel another one taking magic since it couldn't be created nor destroyed, merely transformed. The Dark Curse, in return, was magic, powerful dark magic that was currently energy from their realm. Hence, she should be able to feel and follow the trail to the door that held the biggest amount of energy. Smiling softly when she felt the knowing pull of dark magic, Emma opened her eyes and gave Red a confirmation nod before starting to walk through the hallway.

It took them a couple of minutes, but the moment Emma reached the door she didn't hesitate in opening it and going in. She was sure of herself and of the teachings Regina imparted on her. And luckily she paid attention to them because they were now standing in front of a tall drawer. Emma knew that this was it, this was where the Dark Curse was placed. She could see the trepidation and desperation in Red's eyes, and before she could stretch her hand she stopped her.

"Don't do anything nor move a muscle." she warned the werewolf who huffed in annoyance. "You know how Cora is. There must be a trap here. In fact, I know there is, which is why you will now use that second potion Regina gave you."

Nodding in agreement Red quickly took the red vial and spread its contents around the room. When nothing seemed to be happening Emma started to get worried. It seemed that she would have to depend on her magic sooner than expected if they wanted to have a chance at taking the Dark Curse. Closing her eyes, Emma was going to open her bond and try to eliminate the dark magic with its counterpart, light magic. Nevertheless, before she fully concentrated on doing this, she felt Red nudging her. Opening her eyes, Emma smiled warmly when she saw a red cloud of smoke slowly making its way through an invisible barrier, most probably the spells placed by Cora. Slowly, but surely, the red smoke was clearing the way for them, allowing Emma and Red to swiftly pass the barrier and stand face to face with a dark drawer.

"Ok, so now that we made it through the invisible evil barrier what are we meant to find?" Red asked Emma.

"The Curse is in a piece of parchment." Emma used Regina's memories of the time she held it. "It is small and can fit in your hand easily."

"There is nothing on top of the drawer."

"It must be inside one of the boxes." Emma muttered. "Wait!" she warned Red. "I remember that Cora once told Regina to always place extra care into what can give you power. So that no one can take it away from you."

"So you believe that this box." she pointed towards wood carved one with the shape of a heart as a lock. "Holds the Dark Curse."

"Yes because that box is the one Regina carved for Cora when she was a child." Emma whispered. "Which leads me to believe that there is a spell of blood magic on it."

"Blood magic?"

"Only a relative that shares Cora's blood can open the chest without being harmed."

"So only Regina can open this box."

"Yes. Rather practical for Cora to use this spell since she believed Regina to be dead."

"So what do we do now?"

"We break it." Emma said determinedly. "I stopped you from opening it because you have no tie to Regina. But we are Truest Loves and we share a son. Our blood is one now, which would mean that I can open this box as well."

"But you don't have your connection with Regina open now."

"I know, which is why the moment I touch this box I will open our bond, meaning that as soon as the Curse is in my hand I will transport you to the dungeons while I open the gates. We rendezvous at the stables so we can meet Regina and our army."

"Understood." Red smiled softly at Emma and decided to trust her judgment. Closing her eyes in fear and anticipation, she relaxed when she saw the blonde's hand open the box and take out the piece of parchment.

"Regina is aware that our bond is open, which means that Cora can sense my magic once we are in the castle. Go to the dungeons and free my father and Tauriel. After that wait for me at the stables. If I'm captured." Emma said while flicking her hand and making a small charm appear on her hand. "This will start to shine. The moment that happens you will leave without me and meet Regina at the meeting point. Please Red." the blonde begged her. "Don't let her do anything foolish if I'm captured. She needs to think about Henry as well."

"I will try my best Emma." Red vowed. "But don't ask her to do something you wouldn't do your positions were inversed."

"I know." Emma said dejectedly. "But I don't lose anything by asking her."

"What you can do is not let yourself get captured." Red said strongly while hugging the woman she saw as a daughter tightly. "Please be safe."

"You too." the blonde returned the hug and with one last smile ran towards the castle, followed closely by a frantic naked Red.

* * *

 **Somewhere in the White Kingdom**

"Emma opened our bond." Regina gasped the moment she felt Emma's emotions pouring into her. Love, longing, lust, fear, anguish and excitement all rushing into her. "She has the Dark Curse and is on her way to open the gates." she told her guards who nodded in excitement and started to rally the troops. "Granny." she looked at the old werewolf. "Prepare the witches and tell them to remain behind the soldiers, that way they can place a protective shield around them."

"Understood." Granny said while quickly giving commands away.

"Dorian, prepare your men and create an attack formation. They are familiar with the territory and the weapons of the White Kingdom, hence it could give us a small advantage."

"Of course my Queen." he stood up and quickly ran outside the room.

"Evelyne, I want you to lead an offensive group that remains guarding Dorian's group. If I remember the White Kingdom's formations, they tend to separate an army and then attack it from the sides. Snow would not have changed this. The moment you see the second attack group coming up prepare to defend Dorian's army. We need them to lead the attack and create our needed distraction."

"Yes your Majesty." the woman promised and started to leave with her battalion.

"Anthony." she smiled softly at her captain. "You shall remain by my side. I am afraid the moment Emma enters the castle my mother will feel her magic hence revealing to her that the potion did not work. I am afraid that I do not know what she will do. She could easily hide or attempt to capture Emma and manipulate me into doing her bidding. I want you to stop that from happening Anthony." she asked him.

"What about the Dark One?"

"He will pressure my mother into capturing Emma because he knows they need my heart. Once we capture my mother we should not feel threatened by him."

"Why not? He can still take your heart."

"He does not love me, hence he cannot make the sacrifice the Dark Curse needs. He is aware of this and that is why he will not attack us once we capture Snow White and my mother. What he will attempt to do is regain the parchment where the Dark Curse is so he can give it to someone else." Regina explained to Anthony who nodded in understanding.

"So what we must do is acquire the Dark Curse and place it somewhere safe." he summarized to Regina who nodded in agreement.

"My mother had it under some dark spells, that would have been difficult for Emma to pass were she not with a magical being or my Truest Love. We need to be more careful than that."

"Can't we just destroy it?"

"Magic cannot be created or destroyed it can just be transformed. I'm afraid that level of dark magic would be impossible for me to transform since I am not performing dark magic nowadays." she shrugged. "I do not even think the Dark One can change or destroy the Curse that he created."

"So then it must go into hiding." the knight said firmly. "While you were away I traveled around the realm and saw many places. During my traveling I found one that I believe will be perfect for you to place the Dark Curse. It is surrounded by light magic and is many miles away from any kingdom. The only way to reach this place would be through transporting with magic and knowing exactly where you are going."

"And how did you get to this place if you do not have magic?"

"A fairy helped me." he replied while opening the door for Regina and standing beside me. "I was hungry and near death. I made a last wish to be somewhere safe and a pink fairy appeared in front of me. Told me that my prayer had been heard."

"She must have taken you to the fairies' land." Regina determined. "And the fairy responsible for allowing any fairy to act or grant wishes would be the Blue Fairy. This is no coincidence."

"So the Blue Fairy wants us to place the Dark Curse in her land? Would she be able to use it?"

"I do not know. Fairies are also capable of love, although they are forbidden to fall in love by their laws. Still, you have seen the way the Blue Fairy is protective of Emma. That can also be defined as love."

"So she could use it."

"Yes, but I do not think she will do it. She has risked too much and I know that the last thing Fate wants is to have the Dark Curse enacted."

"So what will we do?"

"Once Emma gets back I will discuss your suggestion with her. I believe she will agree with you in wanting to place the Dark Curse somewhere it can be guarded. Still, I do not wish to make this decision by myself." Regina pointed out to a group of soldiers that were waiting for them to approach. "You will be part of my squad. We will not fight unless engaged by the enemy. Your mission is to safely take me through the gates of the castle. Once we are inside then you will fight any White solider you see." she gave her orders.

"So where do we go?" Anthony asked.

"We will go to the stables." she trembled slightly. "Emma is now on her way to the gates. She is not using her magic so my mother cannot know where she is."

"But she must be aware of the fact that the bond between you two is open."

"I believe so." she muttered. "If not she will soon hear that we are moving to attack the White Kingdom gates."

* * *

 **At the White Kingdom**

"Your Majesty!" a soldier screamed while entering the room and closing his eyes in fear.

Snow gave one last grunt and had her orgasm. Closing her eyes in bliss she momentarily forgot that Manohara and her were not alone in the room. The two of them had been having sex without stopping for the remaining time and all her nervousness and tension had been dissipated. That was, until now. Standing up and turning around to face the man that had dared interrupt them, she froze when she saw his bloodied clothes and marred face.

"What is happening?" she whispered and this got Manohara's attention.

"We are under attack." he said while frantically moving. "The Dark and Gold Kingdom army, they are coming from all sides."

"How is that even possible? They couldn't have reached my kingdom in one day!" Snow screamed while hastily placing her clothes.

"They have magical beings with them." he explained. "A lot of them and they are fighting against our men. Not only that, but somehow they entered our gates and they are inside the castle." he flinched, waiting for an angry outburst.

"They are inside?!" the White Queen bellowed. "Why am I being informed of this just now?"

"Many of your servants inside the castle were fighting alongside the Dark Kingdom soldiers." he whispered.

"Treason." Snow whispered. "My subjects have betrayed me. Where is my daughter? Where is Prince Killian?"

"He has not arrived your Majesty. In fact, I'm not sure he would be able to enter the White Kingdom. All of our entry or exit points are being blocked by the Dark Kingdom troops."

Manohara smiled in surprise. Her daughter was really smart and was now making Snow White pay for her ignorance. Nevertheless, it worried her that they were not able to know Regina was on her way. She had somehow known that they would be distracted and the best way to block the kingdom. Manohara was pretty sure that Regina had a very powerful inside-man aiding her.

"Your daughter is also gone." he reported. "The last time she was seen she was getting her measurements done for the wedding dress."

"She was doing what?!" Snow screamed and started to throw everything in the room. "She already did that yesterday!" she turned to look at Manohara. "Your forgetting potion didn't work. Emma tricked us all! Emma is helping the Evil Queen win this battle against me. Emma and my own husband betrayed me."

"There must be someone else you aren't considering." Manohara tried to stall.

He also realized that Emma was the traitor, which meant that she was aware this whole time of who he really was and yet she had remained quiet. This meant that she came here looking for something that only she would be able to find. If not, they could have simply send Charming back. No, this was more than that. Emma had magic, which allowed her to use it against other people's spells. If they stopped the Huntsman from giving the potion to Emma they could have interrogated him and found out something from him. She had been careless when dealing with him and probably told him something that informed Regina of her ultimate plan. A plan that solely depended on the Dark Curse and the heart of the thing she loved most. Opening her eyes in fear, she realized that was it. The only reason Emma would come back and risk being killed by them was if it meant saving Regina's life. Emma came for the parchment where the Dark Curse was. Concentrating on her dark magic, she tried to sense the barriers she had placed around the parchment. When she didn't sense them she realized that it was too late and that Princess Emma now had the Dark Curse with her. Screaming in anger, Manohara stood up from the bed and used his magic to put clothes on himself.

Surprised at the outburst that came from the man besides her, Snow only shrugged when the soldier in front of her was being choked with magic. It only took a minute for the man to die, his body splayed out in front of them.

"So what are we going to do?" Snow asked Manohara.

"You and I nothing." he spat at the woman. "Me, I'm going to find your daughter and kill her." Manohara screamed and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.

"Traitor!" Snow screamed again and felt tears falling from her eyes.

She angrily started to move around the castle, ignoring the bodies of death soldiers she saw splayed across the room. She could hear from afar the screams of battle and the steps of people running away. Still, she was determined to reach the dungeons. Lowering herself and grabbing a sword from the body of a death man, the White Queen kept on moving down, sometimes having to move her sword in order to block an attack. Although she had not yielded a sword in years, her body seemed to remember the motions used and was now allowing her to defend herself. Many times the people attacking her were her own servants, hate and revenge in their eyes. Just when she was done with the last one of them, she could hear strong voices coming from the stairs that led to the dungeons. Frantically running, Snow stopped herself when she saw Charming, the knight of the Dark Kingdom and Red emerging from them. She couldn't believe what her eyes were seeing. Her husband was fighting against her, killing his men with the help of her best friend and a traitor. Screaming in anger, Snow ran towards them and almost killed Red were it not for her husband stopping her blow with his own sword.

"It is over!" he screamed at her while avoiding another hit from her sword.

"Traitor!" she screamed at him and lunged again. "You are all traitors!"

"You betrayed us first!" Charming screamed back. "You destroyed our kingdom and our family. Can't you see that?"

"I was doing what was best for all of us. I was giving Emma a safe future."

"No you weren't. You tried to poison our own daughter so that you could get your army. You manipulated and used Charming's love for you so that you could force him to do what you wished while screwing Regina's mother!" Red angrily hissed.

This stopped Snow from moving.

"But that's impossible." she said. "Manohara is a man."

"Cora manipulated you." Charming said while lowering his sword and approaching his wife. "She wanted a safe place with power and the position as your lover and advisor helped her achieve that."

"But he's a man." she repeated numbed.

"She used a spell!" Red screamed at her old friend. "And the only reason she helped you in getting your army was so that she could use the Dark Curse by taking Regina's heart."

"Stop." Tauriel warned Red when she saw the way Snow's eyes refocused. "Do not give the enemy information they do not have."

"The Dark Curse." Snow whispered. "That's the way I will fix this!" she implored to Charming. "I can make things right. I can take us to a new land where we will start over. Emma, you and me." she promised him. "We can be happy."

"Don't listen to her." Red begged him. "She's trying to manipulate you again. You know what the price for the Dark Curse is. If she wants to enact it she would have to kill either Emma or you." she reminded him.

"I know." Charming whispered sadly. "And that is why I know she hasn't changed. The Snow I knew would have never sacrificed the happiness of other people for one of her own."

"So what will you do, kill me?" Snow teased them. "We all know you can't do it."

"They can't, but I surely can." Tauriel said angrily while taking her sword and placing it at the neck of a distracted Snow. "And it would give me a lot of pleasure."

"Then you will never know where Cora is." Snow said disgusted. "Or what she plans to do."

"As if you would know." Red knew they were not going to kill her but decided to not tell Snow this.

"I do know." she smiled darkly. "She went to find Emma. She went to kill Emma."

The moment Snow said this Red angrily hit her in the head and saw the White Queen fall to the ground unconscious. She got a surprised smile and nod from Tauriel who approved and a small shriek from Charming.

"She isn't hurt." she promised. "But if something happens to Emma then I will kill her." she vowed.

"And I will not stop you." Charming whispered dejectedly. "The woman in front of us is no longer the woman I loved."

"I am sorry." Red whispered. "But there is nothing we can do for her. But we can do something for Emma, we can save her."

"And we will." Charming said and turned towards Tauriel. "You can take care of her, correct?"

"Of course your Highness." she smiled darkly. "She will soon find herself in a dungeon at the Dark Kingdom."

"Then let's not waste time and go find Emma." Charming said and started running. "Do you know where she is?"

"She must be on her way to the stables." Red said rapidly. "Because she opened the gates."

SQSQSQSQSQ

"Where are you dear?" Regina thought while watching one of his knights take care of a White Kingdom soldier.

 _"I am almost out of the top posts of the gate."_ Emma told her back. _"I am on my way to the stables."_ she promised.

"Please be safe, by now my mother must be aware of what is happening and that you are the traitor. She will realize we were after the Dark Curse."

 _"I will be careful."_ she could feel Emma inject her with confidence and responsibility. _"I can't wait to see you, to hold you and kiss you. I can't wait to see Henry."_

"We cannot wait anymore." Regina whispered. "We have both missed you so much. Without you we are not complete."

 _"Likewise."_ Emma smiled softly. _"The things I have seen while being here, the way my mother treated her servants and people. Promise me we will be different. Promise me you will not let me become just like she did."_

"I promise you Emma, we will be different." Regina vowed and congratulated Anthony when he killed three me swiftly.

 _"Then this will all be worth it."_ she could feel Emma had just killed a guard.

"Many servants joined our side." Regina tried to appease Emma.

 _"Not very shocking. She treated them like shit."_

"I just mean that the people who die today are doing so because they chose to die. You are not responsible for their deaths since you gave them a choice."

 _"I know."_ Emma exhaled. " _I just wish it could have been different."_

"We both know this was the only way. You saw the way your mother was acting." Regina could see now Emma's memories of what had happened inside the castle, of what she had almost forced Emma to do. "I am afraid your mother was seduced by the darkness and she is now fully embracing it."

 _"I didn't fully believe it until I saw her this week."_ Emma whispered. _"I hope my father is well and has not been mistreated."_

"I hope so too." Regina really meant it. "Emma..."

 _"I can feel it too."_ Emma whispered. _"Your mother knows where I am and she is coming."_

"I am almost there. Keep going towards the stables." Regina begged her.

" _I need to protect Henry and you."_ Emma whispered. _"Besides your mother can't know you are pregnant until she is stopped and captured."_

"But..." Regina begged for a way out.

 _"You can't risk Henry's safety. You promised me."_

"I know." Regina cried. "But I can't leave you facing my mother alone. We can only defeat her together."

" _I will not be alone."_ Emma smiled. _"Your soul, essence and magic is already inside of me. I just need you to help me use it. And you can do that through our bond. Besides, it seems that I am not completely alone."_ Regina noticed a werewolf and Charming standing next to Emma.

"Use the sword I gave you Emma. It can deflect dark magic." Regina relented. "And do not believe I will not be staying close-by."

" _Cora will sense you if you don't leave."_

"I do not care. Do your job as my champion and protect me so that I am not forced to leave."

 _"I will your Majesty."_ Emma smiled.

SQSQSQSQSQ

"So we meet again Princess." Cora sneered when she saw Emma, the werewolf and Charming standing in front of her.

"So it seems." Emma made a sword appear in her hand. "I'm not scared of you Cora."

"You should be." Cora threw her a ball of magic and Emma deflected it with the sword. "Interesting. It seems my daughter's magical abilities have improved. Do tell me, where is she? She must be close-by."

"That's for me to know and for you to never find out." Emma concentrated and used only her magic to make Cora believe Regina was far away.

"Although your light magic is powerful." she stood up from the floor where the spell Emma threw it. "It is not powerful enough to kill me. It was unusual for my daughter to not be in a battle during her time as Evil Queen. Habits die hard, which makes me believe that you two are hiding something from me." she sneered. "Why is Regina not here?"

"This is my kingdom and I will get it back." Emma threw another ball of magic that got deflected by Cora.

"No, that is not it." she laughed. "I can see it in your eyes. You all know why Regina is not here." she attempted to capture Charming with her magic but Emma placed a protective shield around them.

"Your fight is with me." she sneered. "Besides, only cowards go to the weakest link to gain advantage." she mentally apologized to her father.

 _"Taint her, make her see that she is not controlling the situation. Force her out of her comfort zone."_ she could hear Regina's voice advising her.

"Besides, why bring Regina here. You can barely stop me and you want her here to what? Finally destroy you? Or perhaps to use the Dark Curse?"

"But you can't cause you no longer have it." Charming understood what her daughter was doing and joined the discussion. "We tricked you from the start."

"A mistake that I attempt to rectify now." she said angrily and now attacked Red, who merely moved out of the way.

"You're getting sloppy." Emma threw her own magic and hit Cora straight in the chest. "You're getting old and weak. That's why you needed the help of the Dark One for your plan to succeed. And speaking of him, where is he?"

 _"Indeed, I do not feel his presence around here."_ Regina muttered. _"He must be waiting until the fight is over so he can take the Dark Curse. He does not want my mother to have it."_

"I do not need him to defeat you."

"Yes you do." Emma smiled. "And he will not help you because you will never have what he needs. You will not lay a hand on Regina, you will never be Queen. Instead, you will end your life the way it started, as a simple miller's daughter."

"NOOOO!" Cora bellowed and ran straight towards Emma and pushed her hand inside her chest. "I WILL KILL YOU!"

"You may try. But you will fail because love..." Emma smiled and concentrated on letting Regina's magic fuse with hers as well.

 _"Is the most powerful magic of all."_ Regina finished and concentrated on sharing her essence with Emma and all she was.

"You said Regina was gone!" Cora shrieked when she found herself unable to take her hand of Emma's chest.

"I lied." Emma sneered and pushed all the magic she had out of her.

A white light emanated from inside Emma, and at one point Red and Charming had to close their eyes because of the power that came from the future Queen. The last thing they saw was Cora's terrified face and a smiling Emma with purple magic flowing through her as well. It was a sight to see, and almost everyone stopped fighting the moment they saw a white light go to the sky. Unconsciously the White Kingdom soldiers knew that such power did not come from their side, immediately kneeling and surrendering in front of the Dark Kingdom soldiers who started to cheer.

"That magic came from Emma." Regina told Anthony. "Take me there right now." she ordered her knight who nodded and continued to place the protective circle of soldiers around his Queen.

"Red, dad!" Emma screamed when she got up from the floor. "Are you alright?"

"Your spell protected us." Charming appeased her daughter while hugging her. "I'm so glad to see you."

"Me too." Emma smiled sadly while watching Red swiftly move towards an unconscious Cora. She also noticed Red quickly revert back to her human form, immediately covering her in a cloud of white smoke that gave her some needed clothes.

"Thank you." Red smiled thankfully and concentrated until a brown wristband appeared on her hand. "A gift from the Blue Fairy." she placed it on top of Cora's hand.

"Her magic is gone." Emma smiled happily.

"And soon will she." the Blue Fairy said and Emma ran towards her.

"It's so good to see you Blue." she hugged the fairy who smiled softly and hugged her back.

"I met with Charming and Red on their way to find you. I was sure that your Truest Love was capable of defeating Cora's dark magic. Still, I'm also aware that some extra protection that can prevent Cora from using her magic is mostly welcomed."

"It is." the blonde smiled appreciatively and hugged the fairy again. "What will you do with her."

"Place her in a cell similar to the one the Dark One had inside the White Kingdom. She will not be able to escape it."

"Good." Emma started to say but got distracted when she felt the magic of Regina getting closer to her.

SQSQSQSQSQ

It didn't take them long to reach the stables, and were it not for him having been in this castle many years ago he would have never believed what had happened to this place because of his Queens' magic. The field was no longer of pasture, instead an assortment of flowers of all shapes and colors were now instead. The grass looked green and healthy while a soft stream was flowing close to them, filling the place with birds and animals of different breeds. He could see from the way Queen Regina was staring that she was also speechless. Nevertheless, she quickly scanned the place in search of her beloved, her eyes only relaxing when she could see a smiling Emma making her way towards them.

"Move." Regina said quickly and smiled happily when strong arms held her tightly. "You did it." she smiled warmly at her fiancé. "You defeated Cora and you got your kingdom back."

"I defeated Cora and saved you." Emma smiled happily and kissed her Truest Love on the lips.

The two women moaned in surrender at the feelings that emanated from the two of them. Their happiness, relief, joy and yet a tinge of sadness at having defeated their mothers to get their happiness. Lowering herself so she could see the sight of Regina's stomach, Emma cried when she saw how much Henry had grown.

"You did not miss anything." Regina appeased her. "And you insured his safety dear."

"I know." Emma choked. "I'm just so terrified of how much he has grown in just a week."

"I understand. But Henry is the product of light magic." she smiled warmly. "The purest and most wonderful magic of all. I am sure his life will not be jeopardized or limited because of this magic. He is a gift dear."

Nodding in acceptance, Emma closed her eyes when she felt red lips falling on top of hers, keeping her calm and devoid of asking any more questions about the uncertainty of their future. They had defeated Cora. They had captured Snow White and they had freed the White Kingdom. Emma was now the Queen.

"Your Majesty." Dorian winked at Emma and kneeled in front of them. "The crown of the White Kingdom." he gave it to Regina who took it and immediately turned around to face Emma.

"This is your destiny and your duty." Regina smiled softly at Emma. "Queen Emma of the White Kingdom." she put the crown on top of Emma and immediately kneeled in respect.

Emma felt tears falling from her eyes when she saw the devotion and love on Regina's eyes, quickly turning around when she heard soft murmurs of 'your majesty' filling the air around them. Somehow, a crowd of White and Dark Knights were now all on their knees, pledging their allegiance to the newly crowded Queen. All the magical beings were also looking at her with happiness and hope, one that Emma promised herself to not break. Immediately making Regina stand, she joined their hands raised them to the air, earning a happy scream and cheer from the people around her.

"Today is a day of change." she started while earning a confirmation nod from Regina. "The time when the White and Dark Kingdom were against one another is over. The time when we abandoned our magical being brothers and sisters is over as well. Now is the time..." she used her magic and earned herself a surprised sound from the people. "To show that magic is not good or evil, but that the people that use it can be good or evil. With the help of my fiancé, Queen Regina, we intend to return the White Kingdom back to its old glory and to protect all life. This I promise you as your new queen." she finished and closed her eyes fearing rejection.

"Open your eyes." Regina whispered to her. "They love and respect you. They will follow and trust you." she promised Emma who smiled when the people started to cheer for her.

"Promise me." Emma allowed Regina to see her nerves and fear. "Promise me that we will do this together."

Regina smiled softly at her fiance, and with ferocity she kissed Emma with all of her might. She could hear from far away the screaming and cheering from their people, but the only person that mattered right now was the blonde woman in front of her. Her Truest Love and savior Emma Swan.

"I will be with you until the end of this life and the beginning of the next one to come." she vowed.


	24. Epilogue

**9 years later**

"Henry Daniel Swan-Mills you better stop using your magic right now!" Emma said loudly while going around the castle.

She could hear from far away the distinctive sound of her son's voice, moving from place to place too fast to be done without the aid of magic. Regina and her had been married for 9 years and those 9 years had been the most wonderful ones of her life. The two of them ruled the White and Dark Kingdom together, finally rejoining the two of them as they were under King Leopold's rule. Their relationship with the Gold Kingdom and Fairy Realm were prosperous as well. Although they sometimes had altercations with the Underwater Kingdom because of Regina's jealousy, she had found the presence of Prince Killian tolerant after talking with the man about their doomed marriage and love for travel. Her father had decided to live in the Dark Kingdom with them since he somehow had found love again in the most unexpected person. It was unexpected for Emma but clearly expected by Regina because she always joked with Emma that Red and Charming were a good looking couple. A couple that then became a real couple after the two of them were sent as ambassadors to different kingdoms in representation of the two monarchs. Emma had been happy about their union, making Red's role as her mother even more official than the one she previously held. Granny, although she attempted to not show it, was happy for the union as well, usually leaving the couple food and presents when they came back from their travels. It had been a nice life for her, Emma realized, after all the bullshit and deceiving she had to go through. Capturing and incarcerating her mother had been a difficult task, specially for her father who still visited her from time to time. Cora had been an easier matter to deal with thanks to the help of the Blue Fairy. With the bracelet in place and hidden in a cell at the Dark Kingdom, Cora was safely kept away from prying eyes and unaware of what was happening around her. Regina and her knew how dangerous it would be for Cora to realize that the two women shared a son, a weakness that could be exploited and manipulated by the dark woman. The Dark One was another matter that kept Emma awake many times. No one had seen or heard from him since the battle at the White Kingdom. Regina still sent knights and magical beings from time to time in search of him, always returning empty handed and without information. In fact, Regina had been so desperate once that she went to see her mother to demand answers, which of course were not given since Cora enjoyed to make anyone suffer. So with the never ending threat of the Dark One coming back to steal the Dark Curse and of the imminent danger of traveling to another realm, Emma learned to just enjoy the peace time she was given. She swore to not do the same mistakes her mother did and support every decision Henry ever took. When he showed signs of magic, instead of concealing his abilities she encouraged Regina to teach him from a young age, that way proving that magic was not evil or dangerous if properly trained. That of course was now biting her in the ass because Henry had become rather good at transporting himself.

"Is Henry playing with you again?" Emma heard an amused chuckle from behind her and felt soft lips on her neck.

"He knows it drives me crazy." Emma muttered softly. "He is a little evil rascal like his mother."

"You mean he is smart like his mother." Regina bit her softly and Emma moaned. The lust and passion between the two of them had not extinguished, in fact it probably grew with the passing of years. They were still crazy about each other and still willing to have sex in any available surface.

"Yes, I meant that." Emma repeated what Regina said and heard her laugh.

"Henry please come here." the brunette calmly said and their son appeared in her arms. "Good boy."

"Why does he listen to you?" Emma pouted and huffed.

"Because he knows who the real authority is here." Regina joked with her while covering his ears. "But Henry, do listen and obey your mom when she asks you to stop."

"Yes mommy." He promised and jumped to Emma's arms who hugged him tightly. "Sorry mom."

"Don't worry little man, already forgiven."

"Can we go practice with my new bow?" he asked of his new toy his grandfather had gotten him from one of his many travels. "I promised grandpa I would use it."

"Of course." Emma started to turn around and leave when she felt the air switching. "What is that?" she whispered to Regina who was also looking at her with shock and fear.

"Your Majesties!" Anthony screamed while running towards them. "Snow White escaped her prison with the help of the Dark One."

"How is that even possible?!" Regina angrily bellowed. "Find them!"

"That's not our only problem." the Blue Fairy appeared in front of them.

"Please don't tell me Cora escaped."

"No, she is still captured with the bracelet on her arm. But the Dark Curse is gone. A fairy betrayed and took it from us." the Blue Fairy said angrily.

"So the Dark One has my mother and the Dark Curse." Emma whispered. "And I am here with you."

"Which means that your father is in danger." Regina finished Emma's line of thought.

"Hurry, we need to find Red and my father." Emma said while turning around to see Dorian and Evelyne waiting orders. "Let us know as soon as you find something."

"Emma." Regina whispered softly. "I am sure we will find them."

"We both know that will not happen if the Dark One decided to act now and not before." Emma said dejectedly.

"Your Majesties..." the Blue Fairy interrupted them and pointed towards a cloud of black smoke. "We are too late."

"Dad." Emma whispered sadly while tears fell from her eyes.

"Emma." Regina told her wife while hugging her tightly. "I know what you are feeling, believe me. But right now we have Henry to worry about."

"What will we do?" Emma whispered dejectedly while looking at their child. "We can't let him be controlled by my mother or the Dark One. If either one do get him then we will lose all hope of the curse being broken."

"We will put such pressure on a child?" Regina asked dejectedly. "That is not fair."

"Neither of this is. But even if he doesn't come back I will feel better knowing that he will have the chance to live a better life than one under Snow's control. Don't you agree?" Emma begged Regina to understand.

"I do. I just wish I did not." the brunette cried softly. "What can we do?" Regina looked towards the fairy that she had learned to trust.

"Many years ago I asked you if I could place something inside the castle." she reminded the monarch. "Now is the time to use it."

"Can it stop this curse?" Emma hoped.

"Nothing can stop this curse." the Blue Fairy whispered sadly. "But it can save and ensure your soon a good life."

"But he will be alone." Emma whispered. "That's the last thing I wanted for him to feel."

"He will not. He will know he was loved by you two until the time comes for him to come back. When that happens he will remember you two and all the memories and experiences you shared." the fairy promised.

"And meanwhile?" Regina whispered.

"There is another person that traveled through the enchanted tree many years ago. He will be there for Henry and help him make his way back. Fate promises you both this."

"I'm sorry your Majesty." Evelyne whispered while bringing a beaten Red. "But Snow White's soldiers are inside the castle."

"How can she have an army?!" Emma screamed.

"The Dark One kept them hidden and under training in their kingdom." Red said sadly. "Charming and I had recently heard some rumors and decided to investigate before telling you two anything. I am sorry." she begged forgiveness.

"You did what you thought was right Red." Regina calmed her. "And now we must do what is right for Henry."

"For Henry." Emma said fiercely back and took a stronger hold on him. "Let's go." she said to Regina.

"You must take him Emma." Regina said. "Snow will be looking for us so I will stay here and distract her." she approached Henry who was looking at all of them with tears in his eyes. "My little prince, I love you with all my heart." she hugged Henry tightly to her chest and gave him a long kiss. "I will always find you, and we will see each other again, I promise." she vowed to the little boy. "But now you must go with mom. Listen and obey everything she tells you to do. Promise me Henry."

"I promise." Henry whispered and held Regina strongly.

"Now go." Regina pushed him away and gave Emma one last lingering kiss. "I love you."

Emma was crying openly as well. "And I love you too. Forever." she vowed and left with Henry attached to her hip.

"Follow them and protect them with your life." she asked Dorian, Tauriel and Evelyne who nodded and ran behind them.

"Mom." Henry whispered terrified while watching soldiers around him stop to fight with other ones dressed in gray. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe little man." Emma promised and took her sword out engaging in contact with two soldiers who were trying to grab and stop her. Concentrating she used her magic and pushed them away towards the concrete walls.

"We are almost there." she heard the Blue Fairy tell them while making a shield appear in front to protect them from a pair of arrows shot their way. "Now we turn left."

Turning left, Emma chuckled when she noticed that Blue hid the tree in the aisle that belonged to King Leopold. _She must have known that no one wanted to enter this place._ Still, Emma couldn't have been happier when she saw the tree in front of them. Quickly placing Henry inside of it, she smiled sadly at him and gave him a last kiss and hug.

"Be strong my little man. My little Henry." she wept openly.

"I will be strong and I will find you." Henry said bravely while tears were falling from his eyes. "I promise you both."

"I know you will." she said softly. "But before all of that I want you to be happy Henry. Be the best person you can be. Your mother and I are already so proud of you."

"Emma." Blue said desperately. "It's time."

Emma noticed that Evelyne, Dorian and Tauriel were gone, meaning that the grey soldiers must have stopped them from going inside the room. Meanwhile, the Blue Fairy was using all of her magic to stop a group of magical beings from entering the room. Giving one last look at her son, Emma closed the door of the tree and prayed for him to make it safely to the other realm. Using her own magic to join the Blue Fairy's, she smiled darkly when the magical beings in front of them were moved towards the wall and knocked unconscious. Nevertheless, her relief was shortly lived when she felt a sword hit her near her chest. Opening her eyes in surprise, she saw Snow White holding the bloodied sword.

"Hello daughter." Snow sneered while watching Emma crumble to the floor.

"Snow..." Emma whimpered while trying to stand up. "Long time no see."

"I heard that congratulations were in order and that I'm now a grandmother!" she said excitedly.

"No you're not." Emma spat with blood included.

"I wish to meet him. I heard he was going to be here." Snow smiled darkly. "So where is he?"

"Somewhere where you will never find him." Regina screamed while using her magic to push Snow away from Emma and quickly kneel over her. "My sweet Emma." she hugged Emma tightly to her body.

"He's safe." Emma chanted. "He's safe."

"Where is the boy?!" Snow screamed at the two women.

"Gone." she smiled tightly at Snow.

"NOOOO!" Snow screamed.

"You lost." Regina smiled darkly. "He got away. Good will always win." the ceiling on top of them started to crack, and unthinkingly she covered Emma with her own body.

"No I haven't." Snow smiled evilly. "You see that cloud of black smoke coming our way. That is the beginning of my new reign."

"Where are we going?" Regina whispered.

"Somewhere horrible. Absolutely horrible." Snow smiled at them and opened her eyes in welcoming. "A place where the only happy ending will be mine."

THE END


	25. Sequel News

I wanted to thank you all again for following and favoriting this story. Most of you have asked me if I'm going to do a sequel and the answer is yes I will. I have a very clear idea of how I want this sequel to be and I'm currently working on outlining it all. I'm not sure of when I will upload a first chapter for it, since I wish to continue working on Sleeping with the Enemy (my Clexa story) as well. Because of that I encourage you to either keep on the lookout for the sequel or you can follow me and get notifications of when I upload.

I do promise that the first chapter will be uploaded before february (or who knows, maybe I will go crazy and upload one before that), and that if anyone is interested in being a Beta for this story then you're more than welcomed to write me. I try my best to check for grammar and spelling mistakes but my updates for Heroes and Villains were usually longer than 8000 words per chapter (and that is a lot of reading and typing).

Thanks again for all your sweet support, reviews and interest in my story (and the recommendations as well) and I hope to see you all soon in my next installment of Heroes and Villains called Two Become One.

Kudos

tititenis


	26. Sequel News 1

Just a heads up to the people that followed this story. The sequel, Two Become One has been officially uploaded.

You can find it on my profile. Here is the Prologue so I can try to get you interested in reading it :)

PS: To the people already reading it ignore this since in Two Become One this is the same Prologue

* * *

Prologue

 **4 Years Ago at the Dark Kingdom**

Snow White was not sure of how much had passed since she was incarcerated by her husband and daughter. She had seen the way the Evil Queen stared at her, the relief she felt when her own guards and people placed the shackles on her wrists. Not only had it been humiliating for her to know people despised and betrayed her, but she had also discovered Cora's lies and deceit. She had been so angered at the woman that, were it not for the fact that she had been captured and placed in a magical prison at the land of the fairies, Snow was willing to cut her head. Angry at the position she was in, barely allowed to see where she was and with only Charming as a companion from time to time, Snow was slowly and surely plotting her revenge. The only problem was that no guard was willing or ready to betray their Queens, because that she had heard. The news of Queen Regina of the Dark Kingdom and Queen Emma of the White Kingdom's wedding had even reached the confines of the dungeons. Everyone, the peasants, councilors and guards had been extremely excited with the news that Snow had heard many whispering about the wedding and pregnancy of the Evil Queen.

 _"They say the child is the product of Truest Love." a guard had whispered excitedly._

 _"Yeah, and that he is coming faster than the normal. Like Queen Regina is going to give birth soon." another one added to the conversation._

 _"I heard." the woman giving them their meals said. "That the child is special, very powerful and because of that well protected. Queen Emma, or any member of their Royal Guard, don't leave Queen Regina alone at any second."_

 _"Of course the child will be special! Born out of two witches, one with dark and the other with light magic." the first guard huffed. "Trust me, if the Queens are powerful then this child will be even more so."_

 _"Is that why they're getting married?" the second guard asked._

 _"Of course not." the woman reproached him. "They're getting married because they love each other."_

 _"And, once they do their heir will have the right to both kingdoms, the Dark and White." he chuckled. "Imagine the irony of finally seeing King Leopold's land united under the rule of the child of the woman that had a hand in killing him and his granddaughter that betrayed the White's."_

The appeal this information had to Snow White was intense. She realized soon that even if she managed to escape her prison she needed a strong ally to support her uprising and fight against the two witches. She had underestimated them the first time and she was not going to make the same mistake again. She had let her own self-security and ignorance evade all the angles of the rebellion and had made her lose her father's kingdom. She was not going to let this pass. In fact, she was going to make them suffer by taking everything from them. She was still unsure of how, but she promised herself that she was not going to die in this prison. Her thoughts of revenge and vengeance were distracted by the arrival of Charming, who she had seen less and less with the passing of time. At first she had noticed his sadness at being there, having to see his wife suffer and unwilling to repent or change. Snow honestly didn't care about this, and in fact, had somehow been relieved when the man gave up and instead just sat quietly in front of her. Now Snow noticed that the man was different, that the sadness and sorrow from his eyes was mostly gone. She was not naive, and she still remembered the many years spent with her husband. Charming had fallen in love, or was on the way to fall in love again. This displeased her tremendously. In fact, she wanted to know who was the woman stealing her husband away from her. She no longer had a claim to him, and she honestly didn't care about him when he loved her, but that didn't mean that he could move on. She was that selfish and she didn't mind.

"Charming, long time no see." the woman said softly while watching him sit. "I have missed you."

Charming exhaled softly and looked at her. "Snow..." he started and Snow was surprised when he spoke instead of just staying quiet. "I came here to tell you that this was going to be the last time you would see me here. I tried my best to help you, in good and bad times, but there is no longer an us. The woman I fell in love with has been gone for many years." he looked down. "And I was naive enough at first to believe that I could bring her back. That I could save you."

Snow noticed the tears falling from his eyes and a very small part of herself felt sorry for him. The bigger part, on the other hand, was angry and feeling that this was the ultimate betrayal.

"But the only person that can save you is yourself." he nodded, trying to convince himself. "I have done my duty to you, my daughter and our family." he kept convincing himself. "And now it's time I move on and try to find happiness again. Please understand"

Snow laughed darkly. "The only thing I have to understand here is that you grew tired of coming because you're fucking someone else." she approached the cell walls. "Who is it?! Who is screwing the husband of the White Queen!"

"Former White Queen." Charming said firmly. "You're no longer a queen."

"That position Emma believes she has was built on a lie. That crown on her head will return to its rightful owner, to me."

"It's already on its rightful owner." he said. "And I regret not seeing it earlier. Perhaps we could have stopped all this from happening."

"You will regret betraying me Charming!" Snow screamed when she saw Charming standing up from the chair. "You can't abandon me, I forbid it as your wife!"

"My wife died many years ago." Charming smiled sadly at her and turned around.

"Come back! I'm not finished! Come back this instant!" Snow kept screaming until her husband disappeared from sight. "This betrayal will not be forgotten." she whispered. "He will pay, Emma will pay, the Evil Queen will pay. They will all pay! I will make them suffer, I will make them my slaves, I will make their lives a living hell!"

"All promises if you don't get out of here." an annoying voice said from behind her and she immediately saw the Dark One smiling at her.

"What are you doing here?" she spat at the Imp.

"Is that the way to greet your savior?" he laughed.

"You are no savior but the devil himself." Snow said while moving towards the back of the cell. "Everyone knows your aid comes with a price, one that usually favors only you."

"That is true." he chuckled. "But this time what I want and what you need turn out to be the same."

"I'm listening."

"I have my reasons for going to the land without magic." he started. "And if you ask Cora she will tell confirm what I said." he then laughed maniacally. "Upps, I forgot, you two got captured!"

"My patience is running low..."

"Well, let's just say that if I managed to give you the Dark Curse and free you from your cell." he looked at her. "Would you use it to take us all to a new land where you would rule?"

"And what would you win from it?"

"A position of comfort, of power." he smiled. "Besides, there is no real danger for you since everyone, apart from yourself since you casted the Curse, will forget their identity."

"What must I do?" Snow smiled softly.

"You know what you must do." the Imp winked at her. "You must take the heart of the thing you love most."

"I don't know who that would be..."

"Don't try to lie your Majesty." he spat her title mockingly. "We both know you do. The real question is, will you take his heart or is it too late and it already belongs to someone else?"

"His heart only belongs to me!" she roared and stood up. "And I will do what I must in order to make them all pay." she approached him with an evil smile. "You got yourself a deal." she took the magic pen and signed on the dotted line.

"Wonderful making business with you." he smiled maniacally. "Now, you just wait here until I come back with everything you need." he transported out of the cell. "After all, there is a Dark Curse I must retrieve." he finished and with a last bow disappeared in a cloud of red smoke.

"Soon..." Snow whispered to herself. "Soon you will all pay for betraying me." she started chuckling. "The time of Queen Snow White will return and you will all belong to me!" she cackled while finally sitting on her chair.

After all the waiting she had done already, more time didn't really matter to her. Not when it came with the promise of destroying the life and kingdom that her daughter and enemy had taken so long to build. Watching their kingdom, hopes and dreams crumble was going to be a plus. And, to make things better, she was going to take their child and raise him as her own, willing and ready to do her bidding. She was not going to make the same mistakes she did with Emma. In fact, she was going to do everything in her power to make him hate Emma and the Evil Queen and then set him free to kill them. Watching him do that was going to be a fun thing to see. For that, Snow laughed, she was willing to wait a little more time.


End file.
